The Shattered Looking Glass
by Flash.Asuna
Summary: AU: When Storybrooke Sheriff Emma Swan gets a call from state patrol to take care of an odd incident, she had no idea that it would involve taking care of a runaway foster child who's only two words are "Alice" and "Wonderland." This is a Once Upon a Time AU Swan Queen fic. SQ sexy times involved, talk of child abandonment, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi Everyone! Thanks to the ridiculousness of the latest OUaT episodes, I felt compelled to post my Swan Queen fic that I've been working on. I won't be updating this as often, but I have a lot planned for it. Viva la Swan Queen!_**

**_Note: I do not own or claim ownership to any characters here within._**

**_AU Setting: Post-curse, everyone decides to stay in Storybrooke. Regina is elected as Deputy Mayor along with David/Charming. Portals are available to travel, but most have decided to stay in this world vs. FTL._**

* * *

**_Lost Little Girl_**

"Regina, let's go! Henry's gonna be late for school!" Emma called from the bottom of the stairs. She reached for her keys and badge on the side table, fixing the symbolic gold metal to her jeans.

"I'm coming! Just a moment!" The response from up the stairs caused Emma and her 12-year-old son Henry to roll their eyes at each other.

"You know she's always like this, Ma. What is she _doing _up there?" Henry whined. He wasn't really worried about being late for school, Emma always made sure he was there with time to spare.

It had been a year since the curse broke, when Emma confessed that she had fallen for Regina Mills, former mayor of Storybrooke and the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest. They stole a kiss beneath Regina's own apple tree, effectively releasing the town from the curse. Portals back to the Enchanted Forest opened at the well and the mine, but most were quite happy with their lives in Storybrooke, so they decided to stay. The luxuries of the modern world were too convenient for the townsfolk to give up, which left Emma quite satisfied that she didn't need to become a Princess. Although the curse was broken, it didn't save the Enchanted Forest from being wiped out from Regina's magic. There would be nothing to go back to, but it did allow for people to pass through, therefore making Storybrooke a bit bigger.

The former mayor came rushing down the stairs in a charcoal grey skirt suit and blue satin blouse, struggling to carry her heels and purse at the same time. Emma glanced up in time to catch Regina's gaze and smiled. The brunette huffed as she joined them and put on her shoes. "We wouldn't have to go through this if you would just move in, Emma. It would be much easier than you coming over late in the evening and throwing off my whole schedule."

Emma rolled her eyes and walked over to where Regina stood, primping herself in the mirror. She stood behind Regina and casually slipped her arms around the woman's waist and brought her body close. "I know, I know. Just... Let me think about it. It's not that I don't want to be with you, I just... um..."

"Mom, Emma... Can we go now?" Henry whined. He looked up at them, exasperated that they chose now to talk about love and stuff. He was honestly happy for them and it made his life ten times easier. No more choosing which mom to stay with for a weekend, he could spend time with both of them at once. It had also elevated his status in school. Although the town had widely begun to accept Regina as a normal person, not the tyrannical Evil Queen, her previous status still held, making Henry the almost Prince of the school. Not to mention that he was the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming. He kept a pretty solid reputation and he wasn't about to let something like being tardy ruin that. A moment ago he wasn't so worried, but he knew how long things could draw out when his moms began serious conversations.

"All right, kid. Let's go." Emma opened the front door for Henry and Regina, closing it behind her and locking it with the spare key she kept on her car keys. Emma had parked her Bug haphazardly on the street outside of Regina's excessively large house, much to the disapproval of the house's owner. As she opened the car door for Henry, she smiled as Regina joined her, brown eyes giving the vehicle a clear look of distaste. "Meet you at Granny's?"

"Certainly, dear. I just wish you would stop driving this thing around and we use my Mercedes instead." Regina leaned past Emma where Henry sat and pulled him close for a kiss on the head. "Have a good day at school, Henry."

Henry made a small scowl at his mother's affections, but allowed for it anyways. If one thing never changed, it was how much Regina doted on him. "See you later, Mom. Don't forget that I'm going with Grandpa David after school. So you don't have to freak out and call my phone a million times."

Regina stepped back and put her hand to her chest, "Henry... I'm shocked you'd say such a thing to me. I don't _freak out._" Emma and Henry exchanged a glance then simultaneously looked at Regina. "I don't! Enough of this, I'm heading out. Miss Swan, I better see you at the diner in twenty minutes." Being more bark than anything else these days, Regina strutted to her car, leaving Henry and Emma in a fit of muffled laughs at her expense. Regina got into her own car, grumbling about how she could have ever fallen for such a childish woman.

* * *

After dropping Henry off at school and parking her precious Bug at the station, Emma took the patrol car to Granny's Diner where she found Regina waiting at their usual booth. She waved to Ruby and Granny as she entered, drawing everyone's eyes to her as her boots echoed across the floor. She slid into the booth across from Regina just as Ruby brought her a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Em, Regina. Are you excited about your first day?" Ruby asked with a smile. "Deputy Mayor does have a nice ring to it."

Regina sighed and sipped her coffee, "Miss Lucas, I have spent enough time as this town's mayor, I hardly think it will feel any different."

Emma tapped Regina's foot beneath the table. "Be nice, Gina." She looked up and smiled apologetically to Ruby, but then saw her friend watch Regina set the cup down with a shaky hand. Emma reached across the table as Ruby walked away, assuming that they'd have their usual breakfast. She took Regina's hand in her own and rubbed her wrist with her thumb. "Hey, relax. It'll be fine."

Regina met Emma's gaze and sucked in her breath, trying to calm herself. "I'm perfectly fine, Emma. I can do this."

"It's okay if you're scared, Gina. But you've made a lot of progress in the last year and the town absolutely loves you. In fact, all of them put together come just a smidgen close to how much I love you."

"It has a limit?" Regina asked, giving Emma a playfully devious smirk.

"Um... I mean..." Emma stumbled on her answer, knowing that she had just dug herself a bit of a hole.

Regina held back a giggle and smiled. "I'm teasing. Thank you, I feel much better now. I hope Ruby doesn't think I'm upset with her."

"Ruby? The she-wolf? I hardly think such a thing would shake her at all."

"What thing?" Ruby asked as she approached their tables with two plates. She set a full plate of eggs, bacon and potatoes in front of Emma while Regina's ever healthy diet consisted of yogurt, fruit and toast.

"I apologize for my comment earlier, Ruby. I was a bit on edge, but I've calmed down now."

Ruby smiled, "Don't worry about it, Regina. You'll be amazing, I just know it. Sorry, girls, I gotta get back to the other tables before Granny fires an arrow at me or something." Ruby excused herself quickly, leaving Regina and Emma to their breakfast.

"I told you she'd be fine." Emma grinned before shoveling a forkful of eggs into her mouth. Regina half smiled and raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend's unrefined eating habits and sighed contentedly.

"Well then," Regina said, finally picking up her spoon, "Let's finish breakfast and start our day then."

* * *

Emma's day was relatively normal for being in a town crawling with people from a land of fairytales. David had stopped by before heading off to the city hall where he and Regina would be working on city development planning. Emma did a morning patrol, stopping by to check in with Snow, visit the dwarves in the mines and help Belle with security cameras being set up in the library. She returned to the station right before lunch, falling down into her chair just moments before Regina walked in with a paper bag.

"Busy day?"

Emma groaned, "Not really, just the usual. It's pretty quiet around here. How's the planning work going?"

"Slowly." Regina pulled a chair next to Emma's desk and proceeded to unload the contents of the bag onto the desk: two sandwiches, a bag of potato chips for Emma and a small salad for herself.

Emma lifted both of the sandwiches and immediately set one down in front of Regina and smiled. "Ooh, roast beef. It's like you know _exactly_ what I need!"

Regina blushed slightly, "You're quite verbal, so..." Emma looked up with her mouth wide open, about to take a bite into her sandwich, stopping just before the bread could meet her mouth. She lowered her meal for a moment, still looking at Regina with wide eyes. A large grin slowly spread across her face before she finally set her sandwich down and let go the laughter she was trying to keep in. Regina looked flustered at first, having blurted out such a comment, knowing full well that she was referring to their afterhours activities, but soon followed suit and laughed as well.

Emma stood up from her chair and leaned across the desk, planting a soft kiss on the other woman's lips. "I love that you still catch me off guard once in awhile."

Regaining her posture, the deputy mayor smiled her most classic smile which was somewhere between a smirk and a natural smile. It was one of the things that Emma could not turn down. Regina's smile was so deliciously devious and seductive that it nearly melted Emma every time. "Someone's got to keep you on your toes, Sheriff Swan."

"What's the rest of your day look like?" Emma asked, finally starting on her sandwich.

"David decided we were done for the day. We can't really move forward without consulting some other residents. We could certainly use a bit of help from the dwarves and perhaps Marco and August. I figured that since we were done, I'd do some grocery shopping and fix us something nice for dinner. I haven't made lasagna in awhile. I asked David if he and Snow wanted to come over and join us." Regina answered, opening up her salad and meticulously preparing it in the box.

"Sounds like a plan. Want me to pick up anything?" Regina paused and set down her salad. She hadn't touched any of her food yet, but she found that the idea that was stumbling around in her head was more important.

"Yes, there is something you can pick up," she answered firmly. "You can stop at your parents' house and get your tooth brush, at least half of your clothes, your shoes and be a family with me and Henry. Or is it that you don't want to go beyond this?"

A rock fell a thousand meters into Emma's stomach and landed flatly in the middle somewhere, making her painfully aware of how nervous she had become. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Regina and Henry. In fact there wasn't anything she wanted more than that. Her excuse a few months ago when Regina first brought it up was that she wanted to spend more time with her parents and Regina gracefully backed down for the time being. But it was well over a year since they began dating and it was almost getting silly with the amount of time that Emma was spending at Regina's. Even Henry had moved most of his things back into his room.

Emma was saved from answering and revealing all her fears when the office phone rang. She held up her hand to politely excuse herself from the conversation and picked up the phone. Regina sighed and rolled her eyes, but she was not ready to give in.

"Sheriff's office... I see, okay. Give me a few minutes, I'll be right over... thanks." She stood up and moved to the coat rack, putting on her red leather jacket and then returning to Regina's side. She placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I'm sorry, Regina. I don't mean to cut this short, but I've got an emergency call. Can we talk about this later?"

Regina grasped Emma's hand on her shoulder and locked her gaze on the blonde. "Just answer me. Do you or do you not want to move this relationship further?"

Emma took a deep breath and kissed Regina fully on the lips, brushing her tongue softly over her lips and deepening the kiss for just a moment. She pulled away and smiled, "I plan on taking this wherever we need to take it, as far as we need to take it. Even if it's just one step at a time. Sorry, baby, really gotta go." Emma excused herself, rushing out the door and leaving Regina in the office alone with a half eaten sandwich and a small smile on her face.

* * *

The site Emma had been called to was just barely outside the city line. Since the curse broke, the nasty little spell that was on the town's perimeter had disappeared. Most people stayed out of Storybrooke, but occasionally they'd have one or two outside visitors. By now, the town had such an act in place that anyone walking in from the outside would find nothing particularly interesting about the town.

She found two highway patrol officers in a clearing not far from the road, both looking down at the dirt coated child planted on the ground. She was very much alive, but oddly silent. She was small and obviously under nourished with dull blonde hair, and wearing a pale blue dress, she gazed up as Emma approached with vacant eyes.

"What's going on?" Emma asked the other officers.

One of them, a medium figured man with sandy blonde hair glanced up as Emma approached. "You must be Storybrooke's sheriff. Swan, right? Well, we got a call in from a semi truck driver who said this child ran out into the road. He said he almost hit her. He got out of the truck and found the little girl here, just sitting down on the ground."

"Did you get a name?"

The officers shook their heads. "She won't say anything, just sits there. Look, Sheriff Swan, she's practically within your city limits and we'd rather not call the FBI for this, so how about we leave her to you and we take care of the driver? He's back on the side of the road."

Emma sighed. She figured this would happen. Way out here, the State authorities would rather leave things like this to the town they were confined in. Things usually got weird. "Fine. Keep us out of your reports and I'll keep you out of ours."

"Fair enough." The officers agreed. They didn't want the hassle of pulling up some kind of child abuse case. It always became something bigger and convoluted when children were involved. They quickly left Emma and the little girl, returning down the road where they had left their patrol car.

She rolled her eyes once the officers were gone. "Stupid State patrol... I swear I really think they just go around writing tickets." Emma turned to the little girl who was now staring at her with lost blue eyes. "Hey, kiddo... um... do you have a name?"

The girl stared at her and Emma frowned. This child couldn't be far from Henry's age, perhaps near 8 or 9 years old. Something painful twisted in Emma's chest and she offered her hand to the girl. "I'm Emma."

The vacant eyes blinked, revealing a slight bit of focus returning to them. "Alice."

Emma smiled, relieved that the girl was at least somewhat willing to open up to her. "It's nice to meet you, Alice. Do you want to come back to town with me?" The girl nodded, putting her frail hand in Emma's. She sighed in relief, leading the child back to the patrol car and helping her into the front seat. As they drove down the road back into Storybrooke, Emma picked up her cellphone and dialed the first number in her favorites list.

"Hey… are you still at the station?" _Pause. _"Well, wait for me at your house. Um… I've come across an interesting case… it may involve both of us." There was some high pitched garble coming from the other end of the phone and Emma instinctively pulled it away from her ear. "Love you, too, Regina. See you soon."

Sighing, Emma put her phone away and glanced between the road and the little girl. "So, where are you from, Alice?"

"Wonderland." The answer was so honest and simple that Emma nearly slammed on the breaks in shock. She managed to keep her cool as they passed the first houses into town. Deciding that she needed to bring this directly to the Deputy Mayor instead of the police station, Emma passed through downtown, running all sorts of ideas about the child in her head.

"Wonderland?" _Has to be some kind of kid's game… right? Henry was like this, too. _Emma knew all too well about children and their imaginations. She didn't believe it at first, when her son appeared out of nowhere, insisting that she was the Savior, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and that his mother was the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest. But after spending enough time in Storybrooke and with it's residents, Emma wasn't sure what was real or imagination. She had even been in the Enchanted Forest and seen it's remnants. She stood in the royal nursery with Snow as her same aged mother sadly looked around the room and the shattered hopes that lay scattered on the floor.

Alice didn't answer. She only nodded, staring at her own hands. Emma occasionally looked over at the girl, taking note of her appearance. The child's long blonde hair was matted and messy, uneven in places from tangles and poor care. Her pale blue dress was torn and her black Mary Jane shoes were clearly faded and worn. The girl's entire appearance told the story of poor foster care. It was no wonder that the state officers were so quick to drop it on Emma's lap.

She parked the car in front of Regina's mansion and shut off the vehicle. Before she got out, she turned to Alice and offered her hand to the little girl again. "Alice, I'm going to make sure you get taken care of, okay? Will you let me help you?" The girl appeared hesitant at first, but then nodded and threw her arms around Emma's neck as if she were holding on to dear life. Emma was taken aback at first, but she slowly allowed herself to relax and patted the girl's messy hair. "There, there. Let's go inside. There's someone very important to me who can help us out."

After prying Alice off of her, Emma got out of the car and opened the passenger door for the girl. With the look of a scared animal, Alice climbed out and immediately grabbed onto Emma's hand. The sheriff was all too familiar with that sort of attachment. When she was younger and being moved between foster homes, she had her fair share of unfortunate homes. Often they were homes where the adults were just taking in children to rake in the government funding. Once in awhile, someone nice would come along and Emma would always want to cling to them like they could save her. Something in her gut told her that this child was feeling the same way.

She walked with Alice to the doorstep, just as Regina flung the door open. "Emma! Are you all right?! What...wait, what's going on?" Regina's tone quickly moved from concern to confusion as she took in the haggard appearance of the little girl. Immediately her heart melted as she saw the girl duck behind Emma at Regina's intensity.

"Easy, Gina. She's a little scared." Emma replied, letting herself into the house with Alice in tow. "Her name is Alice. State troopers found her in the woods off the side of the road after a truck nearly hit her. I think she's a runaway."

Emma guided the girl to the couch in the sitting room, smiling softly at her to calm the child down. Alice's eyes, now a bit brighter than when she had first encountered Emma, drifted all around the room, taking in the sheer regality of the furnishings. It was true that Regina kept an immaculately clean home, but it was also decorated in such a way that exemplified her previous status as Queen. Whatever it was about the room, it kept Alice focused enough that Regina could pull her girlfriend away.

The brunette dragged Emma into the kitchen where she pulled her close and whispered harshly, "Miss Swan," she began, indicating that she was not at all pleased. "You better have some sort of explanation for this."

Emma put up her hands defensively, "Just hear me out, Regina. I have a really strong feeling that this girl is from an abusive foster home and that she just needs someone to take care of her for a bit. Come on, I can't just leave a kid like that to the state authorities."

"That would be the most reasonable decision, _Sheriff Swan._" Regina spat back. Emma winced at the words, understanding full well that she was not behaving as a proper sheriff should.

"I promise, I will start looking for her foster family in the morning. Just... let's take care of her today, please?" Regina was used to brushing off Emma's ridiculous ideas and the occasional bad idea from Henry, but the look in the blonde woman's eyes was so intense that she couldn't even begin to deny her plea.

Regina sighed, "Fine. I'm not so heartless that I'd send a child out on the streets. We'll take care of her until we find her family. In exchange, you need to be here as well. I know you're not ready to move in, but at least while Alice is here, I think you need to participate in making this house a family home." Two birds with one stone, Regina was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

Emma nodded enthusiastically. She wrapped her arms around the deputy mayor's waist and kissed her lips while fighting off a very grateful smile. "Thank you. I'll go back and get my car, pick up some things from my parents' place and let them know what's going on. I promise I'll be back in time for dinner. I'll pick up Henry so I can explain to him what's going on. Are you okay with keeping an eye on Alice for now?"

Regina scoffed, "I raised our son, I think I can take care of a 9-year-old girl."

"Just be gentle with her... kids like that aren't as willing as others like Henry to open up to adults." Emma warned, her green eyes darkening slightly.

Catching the hint of regretful childhood memories in Emma's eyes, Regina cupped her hand to the blonde's cheek and smiled before giving her another kiss. "Don't worry. I'll see you tonight."

Relaxing quite a bit, Emma released Regina's waist and led her back to the sitting room where Alice was still quietly sitting on the couch. Emma walked in front of the girl and crouched down so she was eye level with her. "Alice, this is Regina, my very important partner. I have some things to take care of, but she'll be here with you. Will you be a good girl and listen to her while I'm away?"

Alice gazed at Emma firmly as she spoke then drifted her eyes towards Regina who was standing not too far off from the blonde woman. Regina offered a soft smile, the kind of smile that she usually only gave to Henry. She came closer slowly then sat down next to Alice. "Hello, Alice. My name is Regina Mills. I was just about to bake cookies for dessert tonight, would you like to help me?"

The girl's blue eyes stared straight through Regina before focusing and she finally nodded in response. Regina sighed in relief and stood up, holding her hand out to the child. "Let's go get you cleaned up first." She led Alice to the stairs so she could start a bath, looking back at Emma who was headed towards the door. "Emma, don't forget your toothbrush."

The blonde spun around just in time to see Regina lead Alice up the stairs. She shook her head with a smile, realizing that she had fallen for Regina's trap and that she would be temporarily moving in that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**First off, thank you so much for the lovely reviews! I was surprised at how popular the first chapter was! I'll be making a slight correction as I miscalculated the time. For the purpose of this fanfiction, Henry is eleven, not twelve as I had written in the first chapter. I'll get to editing it later, but for now, it's time for Alice/Regina feels. **

**Stay tuned for more! I would love to hear your suggestions and ideas for this SQ family, what sort of things you'd like to see happen or what you hope will happen.**

****Disclaimer: I do not own or claim ownership to OUaT characters. Not even Alice. This is purely for a fan-based love of the characters.****

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Let Me Into Your Heart_**

Regina sat on the edge of the bathtub with her hand under the running water, testing the temperature. Satisfied that it was warm enough, but not as scalding as she herself would have made it, she plugged the drain and allowed the porcelain vessel to fill with water. Alice stood in the middle of the bathroom, just watching Regina silently.

"Alice, would you let me help you take off your dress?" The girl shook her head fiercely. "You can't take a bath with it on, sweetie." Alice grasped the skirt in her hands, holding on so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Regina turned around to see that the bath was half full and turned off the water. She adjusted herself on the edge and faced Alice. The child was clearly afraid of something. Emma had shared quite a bit of her childhood memories with Regina, giving her some insight to life without a family. She partially understood Emma's need to spend time with Snow and Charming from that, but it still didn't quell her own desire to have Emma living with her. At least she was satisfied with what she could get for now.

Regina held her hands out to Alice and smiled softly, "Alice, Emma and I really want to help you. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you here. We have a son, his name is Henry. While you're here, he'll be like your brother. You wouldn't want him to see you all dirty, would you?" Alice shook her head slowly. "Good girl. Now, let's get this dress off and get you into the tub."

Alice finally nodded and allowed Regina to help her undress and held onto the woman's hand as she climbed into the tub. The girl relaxed slightly as the warm water rose up around her and she looked up at Regina. Her blue eyes almost said 'thank you' causing Regina to stand up and smile warmly at the girl. A knot formed in her stomach and she felt her eyes become a bit watery. Whomever allowed a child to become this frail and uncared for was certainly evil beyond any standards that Regina knew.

After showing Alice which bottles were the shampoo and conditioner for her hair, Regina announced that she would go look for clothes for the girl to wear. Alice shot her hand out and took hold of Regina's shirt, holding her close to the tub. The brunette looked over her shoulder only to be met with worried eyes. At 7-years-old, Henry had insisted that his mother no longer needed to keep an eye on him in the bathtub, but this child was much more dependent. Regina sat back down on the edge of the tub and placed a hand gently on Alice's head. "Okay, I'll stay here until you're done. We'll go look for clothes together." Alice's eyes lit up and she nodded, then dutifully took the bottle of shampoo and began working the liquid into her hair.

Regina felt a little nostalgic sitting on the edge of the bath. She recalled when Henry was 6 and had begun doing his bath duties on his own. She instinctively reached out and wiped soap from Alice's brow before it could drip onto her eyes. As Alice reached for the bar of soap to scrub herself, Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She thought about texting Emma, but quickly decided against it. Instead, she scrolled through her address book and tapped on Kathryn's name.

_K, I need a favor. Can you possibly come by and bring some clothes for a 9-year-old girl? I'll explain when you get here. Thanks!_

Regina replaced her phone back in her pocket, just as Alice was wiggling down under the water to rinse herself of the soap. "All done?" Regina asked. Alice nodded appreciatively.

The brunette reached down into the tub to release the plug, effectively draining the water and filling the bathroom with the gurgling sound of the drain. She got up and took a perfectly white towel from the linen shelf nearby and kneeled down to wrap Alice in it, pulling the girl into a hug. It was more instinctive than anything. She had always wrapped up Henry the same way when he was small. Suddenly realizing herself, Regina let Alice hold the towel around her small body and stood up. "Let's go find you something to wear for now, okay?"

She walked into the large walk-in closet that was connected to the bathroom. Regina's closet was meticulously organized. Work clothes filled nearly two walls, followed by casual clothes, then coats and jackets, then a large cubby shelf for shoes. She felt she could never have enough shoes or enough heels. There were a pair of black boots tossed to the side and a single black leather jacket hanging off the door handle. Regina rolled her eyes, scolding Emma in her head for her blatant disregard of the closet's organization. She told herself that until she could make space, Emma would have to put her things in the dresser in the bedroom or in one of the spare rooms.

As Regina took down a small t-shirt that she had received at a charity event, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Tucking the shirt under her arm, she pulled out her phone and found Kathryn's reply.

_On my way. Definitely curious. Hoping for a good story!_

Replacing her phone back in her pocket, she knelt down in front of Alice. "Here, you can wear this for now until my friend Kathryn comes by with some clothes for you." Using the towel to help Alice dry off the rest of her body, Regina helped Alice pull the shirt over her head, noticing a few scars here and there on the girl's back and legs. Again she felt that knot in her stomach twist and turn, nearly bringing sympathetic tears to her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, when Emma had a 'strong feeling' about something, she was usually right. She hoped that she wasn't right about Alice, but a part of her agreed with her girlfriend.

Regina's phone buzzed again in her pocket as she walked Alice out into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed with the girl next to her, using a dry towel to soak up the water in the child's blonde hair. She stopped a moment to look at her phone, surprised to see a message from Emma instead of Kathryn.

_Hey, baby. Everything going okay? I forgot that Henry said he was going to be with my dad after school today. He reminded you this morning, I can't believe I forgot!_

Regina rolled her eyes and replied quickly.

**_Sometimes I wonder how you get through your day, Emma Swan. I just gave Alice a bath. She's very bright for a child that doesn't speak._**

_Yeah, she only said two words to me. But she's still pretty expressive. Anyhow, I just wanted to check on you two. I still gotta go to my parents' place. I'll get my stuff when I pick up Henry. Finishing reports from today. Need anything?_

**_No, we're fine. Kathryn is coming over with clothes for Alice._**

_I would have done it if you asked, baby._

**_She's a little girl, Emma. I want the opportunity to dress her up like one, not in the sort of tomboyish clothes you'd pick out._**

_You're so mean sometimes. Good thing I love you for it._

**_Back to work, Sheriff Swan. I'm not signing the police department payroll for you to just sit around and text your girlfriend._**

Regina chuckled as she put her phone away, turning her attention back to Alice. She reached for her hairbrush on the nightstand and began gently working through the tangles of blonde hair in front of her. She managed to brush most of it straight before Kathryn knocked on the front door. Kathryn was well acquainted with Regina's home and let herself in, announcing from the entry that she arrived.

"In the bedroom, Kathryn!" Regina called out. She put a hand on Alice's shoulder. "My friend Kathryn is here. She's going to help us get you all dressed up." She received another nod from Alice as Kathryn entered the room. The tall blonde walked into the doorway holding a shopping bag.

"Regina, I love helping you and Emma, but you really need to..." Kathryn stopped as she noticed the little girl sitting beside Regina. "Oh my...did Emma have another child after Henry?!"

Regina's eyes widened at Kathryn's claim, "No, where would you get that idea? How does that even make sense? She found her in the woods after getting a call from State patrol. She thinks the girl is a runaway from a foster home."

The blonde sighed in relief. "I see. Well, I brought over some things you asked for. Are you guys going to be her foster parents?"

"I'm not sure," Regina answered, peering into the bag. "Emma said just for awhile. She's going to start looking for the girl's family tomorrow." She pulled out a pair of underwear, a deep violet and grey plaid dress and grey socks. Regina couldn't help but grin.

Kathryn shrugged, "I saw it in the store and it seemed like something you'd like. I'm surprised you didn't ask Emma."

Regina handed the clothes to Alice and instructed her to go change in the bathroom. After the girl got up, wet blonde hair clinging to her oversized t-shirt, Regina leaned back on the bed. "You know how Emma is. She'd probably come back here with jeans and a miniature version of her red jacket. Between her and Henry, there are enough boys' clothes to dress an army. I hate to admit it, but I've always wanted a daughter..." Regina looked towards the bathroom wistfully, her memories flashing back to when Snow was quite small. She felt a tinge of pain, but after years of pushing those feelings back, Regina was able to regain her composure quickly. She stood up from the bed and went to her purse. "Just indulge me for awhile, Kathryn."

"Oh, I intend to. I think it's very sweet, honestly. I didn't know Emma had such a soft spot." Regina merely nodded as she took out some money and offered it to her friend. "Keep it, Regina. Think of this as a friendly favor, not one of Mr. Gold's transactions."

"Thank you. I'm sure... Oh dear." Regina stopped, having looked towards the bathroom just in time to see Alice struggling with the dress. She quickly moved across the room and took hold of the wiggling girl, then gently unhooked the clasp at the top of the dress's zipper. The garment fell to Alice's shoulders loosely and she turned to look up at Regina apologetically. Her eyes reflected fear, as if some sort of swift punishment were coming for her clumsiness. Regina smiled and turned Alice around again to pull up her zipper and re-hook the clasp. "There, now. My, what a lovely young lady."

Alice beamed brightly and threw her arms around Regina's waist. The deputy mayor couldn't stop herself from hugging the child, finding herself smiling genuinely as she did so. Kathryn poked her head into the bathroom. "Oh good, it fits. I'll keep that in mind." The blonde held back a giggle but the gesture did not go unnoticed by the deputy mayor. She shot a glance to Kathryn who shook her head and grinned. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, Regina. I was just thinking how cute you two are. It's almost like she's your and Emma's actual daughter."

Regina's mouth opened to response but sound refused to come out. Her face immediately colored a curious shade of red before she stood up and strode over to meet Kathryn. The blonde was used to Regina's need to intimidate with proximity and simply stood there and smiled. But having nothing to really bark about, Regina sighed and brushed past her friend. "Come, Alice, let's go make those cookies now." Alice did a small jump and headed out of the bathroom. She stopped in front of Kathryn and made a small curtsey in thanks for the dress, then scurried on after Regina.

Kathryn followed them down the stairs, grinning from ear to ear. "She really is adorable, Regina. I think you should consider at least becoming her foster parents." Regina shot another malicious glare over her shoulder as she reached the ground floor. Kathryn looked absolutely silly grinning as she did, but Regina just rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll leave it alone for now. I've got to go, I have errands to run."

Softening her expression, Regina turned and waited for her friend to join her and grasped her hands. "Thank you for helping, Kathryn. We'll get together for lunch soon and I'll fill you in. Maybe after things get settled."

Kathryn pulled Regina into a hug, then stepped back and crouched down in front of Alice. "It was very nice meeting you, Alice. Regina will take very good care of you; she's a very good mom." With that, Kathryn stood up and excused herself waving as she closed the front door behind her.

Alice grasped Regina's hand and looked up at her. The brunette was unconsciously smiling down at the girl yet again. All afternoon she'd been smiling constantly at the girl's infectious attention. "Kathryn's nice, isn't she? Now, what do you say we get started on those cookies, then we'll go grocery shopping?" Alice nodded vigorously. Regina quietly wished she could hear the girl's voice, but understood that it would likely take some time.

* * *

It didn't take long for Regina and Alice to finish baking their cookies and leave them cooling on the kitchen counter. Regina had always wanted Henry to cook with her, but he was too occupied with his books and comics than doing the things his mother enjoyed. She couldn't help but feel a bit ecstatic when Alice showed such a happy smile when Regina put the child sized apron over her dress and rolled up her own sleeves. No more than 45 minutes later, they stood in a clean kitchen with a dozen warm snickerdoodles on a rack to cool.

Regina announced that they'd be headed out to the grocery store and Alice obliged. She was quiet during the car ride, as Regina had expected and still very quiet when they walked into the store together. She latched onto Regina's hand, making it a bit hard for the brunette to steer the cart. Regina sighed, "Alice, honey, I can't get any of the groceries if you don't let me have both of my hands." An idea came to her head and after taking out her wallet and phone, she handed her purse to Alice. "Hold onto this for me, okay? It's very important and I think you're the only one I can trust to do it." Alice's head bobbed once in agreement, clutching the woman's purse so dearly to her chest that Regina thought it had become an instant security object for the girl.

Satisfied with the task she was given, Alice followed Regina around quietly as the woman collected everything she needed for dinner that night. It had been some time since Snow and David had come over for dinner, Regina having showcased her culinary abilities each time. Her intention for inviting them was to get their assistance in convincing Emma to move in, but Regina managed to do that on her own with the unintended help of her young blonde cohort. But now they had a different topic on their hands: the young girl. Regina was not sure how Emma would bring up the subject to Henry or her parents, or what their reaction would be to find that they had taken in another child. Although Regina didn't imagine their response to be too terrible. They had been incredibly supportive, once Snow and David had gotten over their hardened distaste for Regina (Snow would never say 'hate'), in respect to their daughter's affections for the woman.

Regina stopped in front of the meat department and stared at the various cuts of beef. David and Emma were definitely father and daughter from their over the top love of cooked meat. Not that the deputy mayor didn't enjoy a quality steak once in awhile, but the other two would be willing to have it regardless of its quality. She shook her head in disappointment and then realized that maybe she should go all out, just once in awhile. Rack of lamb sounded pretty good to her at the moment, but Snow was always somewhat uncomfortable with young meat. Regina didn't mind cooking for lots of people, but catering to tastes other than her own was a bit of a hassle. She looked down at Alice and smiled. "We'll make something good for everyone tonight. Would you like to meet Henry and his grandparents tonight, Alice?" The look on the girl's face suddenly became uncomfortable and Regina pulled back her enthusiasm. She crouched down again, smiling softly and placing her hand on the girl's head. "I'll tell you a secret. Henry is a Prince. His Grandpa David and Grandma Snow, they're a Prince and Princess. I'm a Queen... and Emma... she's my Knight. Tonight, we're going to have a royal feast, just for you. Would you like that? You'll be an honorary princess." Regina figured her plan was flawless. What little girl _didn't_ want to be a princess?

It took Alice a moment to respond, taking Regina's words into careful consideration. Then she nodded firmly and stood just slightly taller by straightening her back. She was certainly determined to show that she could be a princess, especially in front of a Queen. Regina bit her lip at the sheer amount of cuteness coming from the little girl. She reached into the meat cooler and pulled out a tray of ground beef and a tray of Italian sausage. Henry and Emma always loved her lasagna. In fact, she was known in town for having lasagna better than Tony's, a fancy Italian restaurant known for its gigantic meatballs. With an objective in mind, they moved through the aisles quickly, picking up the necessary ingredients for dinner and other groceries they were low on.

Focused on finishing the shopping so that they could head home, Regina continued up and down the aisles with Alice.

"Regina." A small voice called out to her. Regina turned around and found Alice looking up at her, holding an bright red apple.

A thousand emotions ran through the pit of Regina's stomach to her heart and into her throat, causing her to choke back a few tears. She had only spent a few hours with the girl, but found that she was definitely growing attached to her. Rage conflicted with the compassion she was feeling for the child as she thought about the condition Alice had arrived in with Emma. She crouched down and gently took the apple from Alice. "Is this for me?"

Alice nodded, "Regina" she answered. Without warning, she smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around Regina's neck, hugging the woman. Regina gasped in surprised, but found herself lifting the girl up in her arms. Not only did Alice actually speak, but she was so sincere and genuine in her actions that Regina's heart melted the moment she heard her name.

Regina gently set Alice down and drew a breath, trying to calm herself. "Thank you, Alice. I think we're all done. Let's go home." She offered her hand to Alice, who gladly took the woman's hand while clutching her purse to her chest.

They paid for their groceries and hurried out of the store. Stepping out of the store into the parking lot, another young voice called out to Regina. This one was brighter and cheerful. She turned to see Grace and her father Jefferson approaching the store.

"Hello, Madame Mayor." Grace said cheerfully. She saw Alice standing next to Regina, clutching her hand tightly. "Hello. I'm Grace. What's your name?"

Alice hid behind Regina's arm, clearly showing that she wasn't too comfortable in this situation.

Regina sighed. "Sorry, Grace. She just arrived in town, but she's a bit nervous. Alice, will you say hello to Grace? She's Henry's friend." Alice peeked out from behind Regina and released the woman's hand to wave, but quickly grasped it again. "Sorry."

"Madame Mayor," Jefferson said, greeting Regina. He glanced down at the girl beside her and raised an eyebrow. "A relative?"

"You could say that..." Regina said distantly. Alice's eyes met Jefferson's and she immediately ducked behind Regina. She could feel Alice physically shaking next to her. The girl was clutching Regina's shirt so hard that her little knuckles were turning white. Regina bent down and touched her hand to Alice's face. "What's wrong? Alice?!"

Grace and Jefferson looked at each other nervously. "Sorry, Madame Mayor. We'll be excusing ourselves now." Jefferson placed his hand on Grace's shoulder, leading her away from the brunette and the quivering blonde girl.

Alice looked absolutely terrified. Her blue eyes shot back and forth, constantly looking past Regina but never at her. She was shaking, tears threatening to pour from her eyes and what little voice she was willing to release only came out in terrified whimpers. Regina wrapped her arms protectively around Alice, trying to calm the child down. There was no way she would be able to get all the way home without Alice walking on her own. Regina reached for her phone, hoping she could get a hold of Emma. The former Queen didn't really like asking for help, but at a moment like this she couldn't deny that she needed it.

"Regina? What's going on? Who's the kid?" another voice addressed her, this one masculine and tinged with worry. She turned around to find David and Snow behind her.

"David! Please, can you help me? I don't know what's wrong with her." Regina looked up at her girlfriend's parents with the most desperate look in her eyes.

"Charming, get the cart and bring it to Regina's car." Snow instructed. She bent down next to Regina who was holding Alice against her, hoping the girl would calm down. "What happened, Regina?"

"I... I don't know. We were just about to leave and then we ran into Jefferson and Grace... then she became like this." Alice wrapped her arms around Regina's neck again, holding on as if she were about to be torn away from this nice woman who was taking care of her. Regina stood up, holding Alice in her arms. "Snow, I really hate to ask this of you and David, but can one of you drive us back to the house? I don't think I'll be driving like this."

Snow furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "Is she... Emma's?"

Regina sighed, a tinge of irritation creeping behind her eyes in the form of a headache. "Please, Snow... not right now. We'll discuss it over dinner."

Without another question, Snow reached for Regina's purse where the girl had dropped it and pulled out the Mercedes keys. They walked together to the car, David looking up as they approached.

"I... forgot to get the keys from you. Anybody want to tell me what's going on?" he asked, looking back and forth between his wife and Regina.

"Just... get in the car." Snow answered. She opened the back door so Regina could climb in with a bit of trouble, Alice still holding onto her and now sobbing quietly.

Regina looked at the young girl in her arms as they traveled down the roads of Storybrooke to her home. In just a few hours, the child had gone from shy and withdrawn to being incredibly attached to the brunette. She had said her name. Alice had even offered her an apple. _A honey crisp apple... just like the ones from my tree._ Regina ground her teeth together, seething in frustration at how she had no outlet to direct her emotions. In one moment, the girl went from absolutely adoring Regina to becoming so frightened that it seemed that she was a mere shell. Regina certainly didn't expect to be sitting in the backseat of her own car with her girlfriend's parents driving while she tended to a mostly mute runaway child when she woke up this morning. _I really hope Emma remembered her toothbrush. There is no way I can do this without her._

* * *

**This chapter was a bit shorter than the last one. Really wanted to develop Regina and Alice's relationship here and throw in a little kink. Thanks for reading! Please stay tuned for more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! Thanks again for all the follows and lovely reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this as much as I am! I know I just posted chapter 2 up not that long ago, but this one's been done and I'm sure people are itching for some Swan Queen smut. Time to enjoy a little Swan-Mills-Charming family dinner. I would love to section off the sexy times in case some of you aren't interested in reading that part, but it kinda ties in towards the end. Umm... skim over it? Sorry about that.**

**As always, I don't claim ownership to the Once Upon a Time characters or anything else. Just another fan, writing for fans and for the Swan Queen Nation.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**_What Family Means_**

Emma had babbled on the entire way home to Henry about Alice. He had gotten a bit excited; there weren't a lot of other children he could play with outside of school. He listened enthusiastically as Emma recollected her experience finding the girl.

"Are you and Mom going to adopt her?" Henry asked. He was eleven. He knew exactly what he was asking.

"Woah, slow down there, kid. Look, I promised your mom that I'd look for Alice's family. The government has a lot of laws concerning orphans. Let's just take it easy and see what happens, okay?" Emma replied. Henry didn't really answer her but he was satisfied for the time being. Henry turned in his seat, glancing in the back of Emma's bug. A large duffel bag sat on the backseat with a white stuffed bunny doll next to it. Henry's eyes widened. He spun around again, earning him a slight glare from his blonde mother. "Henry, sit still. You don't do that when Regina's driving."

"Cause she gets extra sensitive when she drives. _Everything_ pushes her buttons. She won't let me touch the radio or anything."

Emma chuckled. It was true that her girlfriend was not always the most fun person in the car. Regina was naturally over cautious, even more so in a 2 ton Mercedes going 45 miles down the street. "You shouldn't mess with your mother's smooth jazz. It keeps her calm on the road."

Henry slid down in his seat. "Yeah, I know. She only started listening to that after you came along. Was that your doing?"

Emma hummed slightly, "Maybe." They pulled up in front of the house, Emma parking the car correctly this time.

As Henry pulled his backpack out and slung it over his shoulder, he looked over at Emma and smirked. "You're moving in, aren't you?"

The sheriff rolled her eyes at her son. "Go inside. Your mom and Alice probably have dinner ready."

When they walked in, Emma expected to find Regina in the kitchen, just finishing up her usual flourish of culinary mastery. Instead, she found her girlfriend curled up on the couch with Alice sleeping in her arms. She exchanged a look with Henry and sent him upstairs to get washed up. Emma left her bag by the steps and peeked into the kitchen. The scent of lasagna drifted throughout the house, but she was more surprised to find that her parents were the ones finishing up dinner.

Snow spun around to pick out a bottle of wine from the shelf when she came face to face with her daughter. "Oh! Emma, we didn't hear you come in. Is Regina still in the sitting room?"

Emma's eyebrows crept up her forehead. "Uh.. Yeah. What's going on? When Henry texted me that he's be waiting for me at school, I thought you changed your mind about dinner. Then we stopped by the house and you weren't home."

David was just pulling the lasagna out of the oven and set it down on the kitchen island. "Well, we were going to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner and then get Henry, but we saw Regina at the grocery store with the little girl. She was pretty frantic. Something happened. Regina wouldn't say anything, but who's the kid?"

Emma didn't waste a single moment. She turned quickly on her heel and headed back into the sitting room. Regina was asleep, but her face reflected a relaxed, happy expression although she appeared quite tired. Alice's face was scrunched up in a frustrated scowl, but she clung tight to Regina's clothes. The girl turned her head in her sleep sharply, as if dodging something, then relaxed and nestled closer to Regina. Emma squatted down beside her girlfriend and brushed a bit of dark hair from the woman's face. She leaned over and kissed her cheek softly, intent on waking her but not really wanting to disturb the somewhat peaceful image.

Regina sighed as her eyes fluttered open and she turned to see Emma smiling at her. "Wh.." She yawned slightly and rolled over, pulling her arm out from around Alice. "Sorry. When did you get home?"

"Just now. My parents are done with dinner. Is everything okay?" Emma asked, worry beginning to form on her forehead in wrinkles.

Overcoming sleep, Regina sat up leaving Alice curled up behind her. She closed her eyes in an attempt to will the tiredness from her eyes without disturbing her eyeliner. She opened her eyes again, blinking a few times and drawing a breath in, perhaps more to fight off the yawn. Emma was captivated just watching her. Everything Regina did seemed otherworldly, elegant and very deliberate. Life roughened hands reached up and cupped Regina's face as Emma pulled her in for a kiss. Regina hummed appreciatively in response and relaxed. She pulled away, taking in the scent of dinner as it continued through the house.

"Sorry, Em, I really wanted you to come in on your first night here as a member of this household to a great meal and a warm house, but…" Regina's words drifted off as she looked back at Alice. She reached over and brushed her fingertips over Alice's bangs. Emma watched her touch Alice as if the child would shatter before her. She opened her mouth to ask what happened, but Regina spoke first. "We were leaving the grocery store. She was so sweet, Emma. She even said my name. Then we ran into Jefferson and Grace and it was as if her mind shut off. Alice was shaking and crying as if someone were trying to hurt her. I didn't know what to do. Henry was never like this. If your parents hadn't shown up, I have no idea how Alice and I would've gotten home."

Emma nodded, listening to Regina's recollection. "That's why I didn't see my dad's truck. Do we know what made her react that way? Is she okay now? Should I maybe find another family that can take her in?" Emma was really starting to regret taking in the girl if it meant upsetting Regina like this.

"No!" Regina answered abruptly, putting both of her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Don't do that, please. I know I was hesitant this afternoon when you brought her, but… Emma, she's so sweet and sincere. I think she just really needs for someone to take care of her. I can't just let her go now. I think she's okay. It took awhile to calm her down, that's why your parents ended up cooking dinner. But she hasn't said anything since we got home. I was really hoping that since she said my name in the store that she'd be willing to open up a bit more. I feel like she's regressed back to the silence from this morning. Please, Emma… I really think we can help her."

Emma couldn't help but smile. Regina was a strict mother and an even harder politician, but the last year with Emma had softened her somewhat. Sure, she was still a tough deputy mayor. She even cut some of Emma's police force budget to reserve funds for street repairs. There was no favoritism or benefits to dating the mayor of Storybrooke. But Henry enjoyed the little bits of freedom Regina allowed now and she was much more pleasant to the townsfolk. Spending the day with Alice seemed to soften Regina even more. Emma was quite satisfied with this outcome.

She stood up and kissed Regina's forehead, drawing herself away slowly. "Let's get ready for dinner. My parents are waiting." Emma turned and left Regina there on the couch as she grabbed her duffel bag and retreated upstairs. It was her first night living in the mansion, but it wasn't as if Emma didn't know exactly where her bed would be that night.

Regina stretched the muscles in her neck and stood up from the couch. She walked across the sitting room to a decorative mirror on the wall, inspecting her appearance. Her hair was a bit disheveled, but it was easily fixed as she ran her fingers through her waves. Her makeup was thankfully still intact. She had avoided crying throughout the day's drama, allowing her to remain as immaculate as ever. Regardless of the overall acceptance of her from the people around Storybrooke, she insisted on maintaining her slightly devious and intimidating appearance. It kept everyone on the edge, just a bit. Only Emma, her parents, Henry and perhaps now Alice were able to see the gentler and genuine side of her. Oh yes, she had to make sure the town was still wary of her to some extent. No politician was worth their salt without a bit of intimidation weaved into their persona. Regina smiled to herself in the mirror. _I can see why Miss Swan can't keep her hands to herself._ She chuckled inwardly before turning around and approaching the couch.

She couldn't help but stare at the sleeping girl for a moment. Alice, for the most part, did look like she could be Emma's daughter. The sheriff did have a terrible habit of keeping things from others, but even Regina knew that Emma wouldn't keep something like this from her. Regina blushed slightly, recalling Kathryn's earlier remark about their familial image and she wasn't necessarily opposed to it. She reached down and brushed her hand over Alice's hair, stirring the girl from sleep.

"Hey, princess. Feeling better?" Regina asked softly. Alice nodded, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Regina brushed loose strands of blonde hair with her hand and stood up. "Everyone is home. Would you like to meet them?"

Alice shrank in the couch, drawing back from Regina. She bit her lip in slight fear, more nervousness than anything. Emma came down the stairs with her usual heavy steps, dressed down in jeans and a comfy worn out grey shirt with buttons halfway down the chest. She purposely left most of the buttons undone, just for Regina. Her hair was pulled back casually and Regina noted that Emma was doing what she did best: making herself comfortable. She glanced up as Emma came down, taking note of the buttons and smirked. Emma grinned, seeing that Alice was awake, sauntered over to the couch and leaned against the back. "Hey kid, how're you feeling?"

The child smiled shyly at Emma and nodded. Regina reached over and pulled Emma closer to her to whisper in her ear. "I told Alice that you were my knight. Play up to it, I think she likes it."

"And just who are you supposed to be? That's _Princess Knight, _by the way." Emma hissed back.

Regina released her girlfriend and flashed a classic royal smirk, "The Queen, of course. Also, you're too much like a boy sometimes to be a princess. On that note, I also told her that Henry, David and Snow are all Princes and a Princess. It made her excited earlier."

Emma shrugged her shoulders and smiled, standing up straight. "It is what it is, then. Well, shall I escort you to dinner, _my Queen?_" This earned her a wink and a quick lick of the lips from Regina. She crossed the room to the other side of the couch and offered her hand to the woman, smiling briefly at Alice. The girl seemed quite interested in their interaction, so Regina took Emma by the arm and held her hand out for Alice. Eagerly, she slid off the couch and immediately took Regina's hand, easing back into a comfort zone closer to where she was in the afternoon.

Henry had snuck into the kitchen without either of his mothers noticing. He was well aware from Emma that Alice was a bit different from most children and that he would have to be a little gentler with her. When they walked into the kitchen, he was trying to explain to his grandparents the situation with Alice that Emma had told him. They seemed to understand for the most part, but they were still somewhat confused.

Leaving Regina and Alice for a moment, Emma scurried over to her mother and whispered in her ear. Snow nodded a few times, then turned to David to pass on the message who then shared it with Henry. Satisfied that they were all on the same page, Emma turned to Regina and Alice. "Alice, Prince David and Princess Snow of Storybrooke have prepared this grand feast in your honor. Can you thank them?"

Alice nodded and released Regina's hand long enough to curtsey. Snow gasped, unable to contain her expression on the girl's behavior. She was grinning ear to ear. David even stifled a small laugh. Henry slid off the chair and walked over to Alice. Playing up the part of a prince wasn't hard for him at all, he's always wanted to do it. He bowed in front of her and smiled. "Hi Alice, I'm Prince Henry. But you can just call me 'Henry.' Wanna come sit with me?"

Regina couldn't help but draw her breath. The sight of Henry being so sweet on Alice was almost too much for her to handle. She reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing it tightly. Emma squeezed back, equally impressed with their son. Alice, however, seemed a bit distraught with Henry's invitation. She looked back and forth between Henry and Regina.

"It's okay, Alice. Henry will take good care of you. I'll sit right next to you too." Regina said, reassuring the girl. This seemed to be a good enough solution for Alice, so she allowed Henry to lead her to the table. They climbed into the seats across from Snow and David. Regina was still able to take her seat at the head of the table but due to the number of guests that they normally didn't have, Emma was forced to sit on the other end away from her. The sheriff pouted slightly like a child, but then winked across the table at Regina.

Snow couldn't contain herself anymore. She reached over and placed her hand on Regina's arm. "Oh my goodness, Regina, please tell me she's going to be living here with you! Look at her and Henry! They're adorable together."

Regina straightened her posture and glanced at Snow. "That...is a conversation for another time. I think Emma and I will have a few things to discuss, but… I don't think it's a terrible idea." She wanted to have the conversation much later, after Alice and Henry had finished dinner and were away. There was a bit of hesitation in her heart that wanted to avoid getting Alice too excited before she was sure everything would work out.

David worked at opening the bottle of wine they had selected while Emma excused herself to get juice for the children. She silently craved a soda, but Regina refused to keep any of it in the house. After pouring the apple juice (what other juice would Regina keep otherwise), she took her seat as David poured wine for the adults. Emma wasn't against a good glass of wine, but she decided she would have to convince Regina to let her stock some sort of soda somewhere in the house. She sat back watching Regina serve plates of lasagna to everyone around the table. The brunette walked around the length of the table, setting a plate in front of Emma and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to her seat. She was the last to be served. Emma could hear Regina's voice nagging in her head. _"Guests first, Emma, you know that. Stop pouting like a child."_Emma chuckled at her girlfriend's voice in her head. _I could get used to this, _Emma thought to herself. The sight before her made her heart skip a beat.

Henry was actively engaging with Alice, telling her about the other children at school, how David would teach him how to use a sword and ride a horse or how nice Snow was to have as a teacher. Alice listened to Henry as if every word out of his mouth was pure gold. Regina and Snow were engaged in a conversation about one of the many women's products that the modern world had to offer, like anti-wrinkle cream and other beautifying products. David, being just as Emma would expect her father to be, was very focused on Regina's famous lasagna. The table was filled with all sorts of food that Snow and David had prepared at the guidance of Regina. Lasagna, fresh green salad and crunchy green beans, warm garlic bread and in the center, a plate displaying the cookies that Regina and Alice had made that afternoon. Emma smiled. This is what she's always wanted; a place to belong with a family that she loved. _Yeah, I could definitely get used to this._

* * *

Dinner passed rather smoothly and peacefully. Equipped with six cookies, Henry took Alice upstairs to show her his books and toys, eager to have a playmate. Emma, Snow, David and Regina sat closer together at one end of the table finishing the bottle of wine.

"So, I'll be staying here with Regina for awhile. She and I think it's best that while Alice is here, she has a stable family to be with." Emma announced, halfway through a glass of cabernet. Regina smiled next to her.

"Oh, are you moving in then?" Snow asked, trying to not sound so enthusiastic. Truth be told, she was a bit glad for it. Snow didn't necessarily want to be away from her daughter after nearly thirty years of separation, but she also wanted to enjoy her time with Charming.

"Emma is more than welcome to stay for as long as she likes." Regina spoke up. "Henry will love it, too."

"Well, yes, if we can ever leave on time in the morning. You take forever to get ready for work, Regina." Emma replied, rolling her eyes.

"We'd leave on time if you would actually get up. I spend more time trying to wake you up instead of actually getting ready. How do you sleep so heavily?"

Snow giggled, "Actually, I think she gets that from her father. He's like a rock." David turned with a shocked look, but knew better than to argue with his wife. The woman was quicker with an arrow than he was with a gun. Snow hardly imagined that a little over year ago they were trying to figure out how to hide from Regina or at least nullify her power. Snow certainly enjoyed this Regina much more. She was even more surprised to realize that the thing which made Regina move slowly away from her less-than-amicable repertoire was her daughter, Emma. "You really are the Savior."

Emma and Regina looked up, slightly confused. "Mom? What... are you going on about now?"

Snow sat back and shook her head, taking up her glass of wine and draining it. "No, nothing. So, are we going to talk about this or are we going to continue to skate around it? Where is Alice from?"

Emma leaned on the table, lowering her voice slightly. "I didn't tell any of you this yet, but when I was driving her back to town she said she was from _Wonderland._"

"Wait... you aren't implying that she's _Alice_ as in 'chase after the White Rabbit' 'pissed off the Queen of Hearts' _Alice_?" David asked.

Regina let out a slightly terrified gasp. "My mother...Emma, if Alice _is_ the Alice from the books, then we've got to keep her away from Cora."

"Your mother has been strangely civil since she's gotten her own apartment. You've changed a lot, maybe she's changing too." Snow added in.

"She's out of our hair for the time being. She called last week saying she was leaving for a seniors cruise to Bora Bora. I gave her my blessing." Regina answered, words still peppered with disdain for her mother. "What if Alice is like the rest of us, do you think she remembers?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed and she sat up. "Hold on a second, you guys. This is starting to sound really silly." The three around the table shot Emma a glare that sent her curling back into her seat. "Okay, maybe not so much. I get it. My mother is Snow White, my dad is Prince Charming, my girlfriend is the Evil Queen and my best friend is Little Red Riding Hood. Let's assume that the sweet little girl upstairs is Alice. Why was she not in Storybrooke? I found her outside city limits."

"I'm surprised at you, Emma. For someone who likes to read, you weren't able to realize this? Alice is from this world, not Wonderland. That's her story." Regina scolded her lightly. "She already existed outside of Storybrooke and our land to begin with."

"Then why is she still a 9-year-old girl and I'm an adult?" Emma retorted.

"There are things caused by magic that we can't explain, sweetie. Let's not worry about 'why' and maybe focus on what's going on here now. Until we have confirmation, I think it's safe to assume she's just a lost little girl." Snow said, bringing Emma and Regina back to the table conversation.

"Thank you, Mom." Emma sighed. "I promised I'd search for her foster family in the morning. I already sent in my report to child welfare, it's really just about waiting for someone to claim her."

Regina's hand shot out and pinched the flesh of Emma's thigh, causing the blonde to yelp and sit up properly in her chair. "Will you please avoid speaking about her as if she were an object? That's a little girl up there, not something you picked up from the store on the way home."

Emma's eyes darkened slightly. "Sorry, I don't mean to say it that way, but that's the sad truth of it. I know how she feels. It really is like being a thing that just gets tossed around between places. If I..." she paused and took a deep breath. "If I had a family like this when I was small like Alice, I might not have gotten into the trouble I did growing up."

Snow, David and Regina all lowered their heads, knowing full well that Emma's broken childhood was their doing, in one way or another. Reading the tension that her comment had cause upon the group, Emma reached for Regina's hand and pulled her close for a kiss. "I don't regret it anymore like I used to. If things didn't happen the way they did, we wouldn't have Henry or each other. Magic comes at a price, right? I think it's safe to say that the price was paid and the reward is so much more."

Regina smiled then, her shoulders visibly relaxing and her eyes misting just slightly. She sat back and picked up the wine bottle, refilling their glasses. "I think we should all go on a trip this weekend, as a family," she started, attempting to lighten the mood.

"All of us?" David asked incredulously. He and Snow looked at each other with raised eyebrows, neither of them having ever expected to be invited to going anywhere with Regina. Certainly not on anything she would consider a family outing.

Regina nodded firmly, her decision made. "Yes, all of us. It will be good for everyone, as a family." Her voice drifted off softly, knowing that a family outing with everyone included, would lighten up Alice and give Emma some of that security she had always desperately wanted.

Snow grinned. Regina's idea was so exciting that she felt herself overwhelmed with the joy of spending a weekend away from Storybrooke with her family. "That sounds like a lovely idea, Regina. David and I would be happy to join you."

"Wonderful. I'll be sure to communicate the details before the end of the week."

Wine glasses stained with deep red and empty bottles were all that were left of their dinner. Emma was quite satisfied. She stood up and stretched. "That was fun, guys. But seriously, I'm wiped from today. Mind if we call it a night?"

David and Snow stood up as well. "Not at all, it's getting a bit late for us, too. I still have class in the morning. Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Regina. It was lovely."

Regina stood from her chair and smiled, placing her hands together in front of her. "No, thank you. You two really helped me out today and… " she struggled slightly with the next words that danced at the edge of her thoughts, "I appreciate everything you've done."

Wanting to get the night over with, Emma escorted her parents to the door. "Thanks again for taking care of Gina today. I know I don't say it often, but you really are great parents. I'm happy that you're mine. I'll let you know when I'll be coming home."

Snow stopped at the door and turned to face her daughter, "Emma, your father and I really enjoy having you around… but honestly, honey… you have a family here in this house. I want you to really consider moving in here permanently. If not for Alice, then for Regina and Henry. I don't need magic or fairy dust to see that they both love you and I know you love them. Trust me, it is a _huge_ improvement from the past."

A smirk played across Emma's face. She wasn't oblivious to what her mother was trying to do, but at the same time, she found it very sweet. Emma pulled the petite woman into her arms and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom. I will." After releasing Snow, she turned and hugged David as well. "You too, Dad. Thanks."

David grinned as he reached up and ruffled her blonde hair, "I'm never going to get tired of hearing you say that, Em."

Regina joined them in the entry way, stopping at the base of the stairs. "Henry, Alice, come down and say goodbye to Grandpa David and Grandma Snow!"

Henry came downstairs with Alice behind him moments later. He ran over to Snow, wrapping his arms around her waist. Alice, being a bit more withdrawn than Henry, simply stood in front of Snow and David, plucking the sides of her plaid dress and gracing them with another almost perfect curtsey. Snow looked up and glanced at Regina and Emma with her most convincing _"If you don't do this, you're both stupid"_ look.

Emma rolled her eyes upward as David opened the door. "Good night." They waved to her as they left, causing their daughter to sigh in relief. "All right, can we get ready for bed? It's been a long day."

Alice turned and looked up at Emma and smiled, then hurried over to Regina and took hold of her hand. "Henry, go upstairs and get changed and brush your teeth. Emma and I are going to set up the guest room for Alice."

"Okay." Henry answered. He hurried to the top of the stairs and into his room, eagerly waiting for his mothers to tuck him in for the night. He was beyond the age where he needed it, but it did make him happy to have both of his mothers around to do it. Henry figured he could indulge for a little bit before he let them down easy. They were happy and even he knew that everyone deserves a happy ending.

Despite Regina's qualms against Emma's style of parenting, her girlfriend had already taken into consideration the sleeping situation of the house with Alice there. She had already placed the stuffed rabbit doll in the guest room with a Wonder Woman pajama set on the bed. She picked the guest room closest to Regina's, in case the girl needed anything. Regina brought Alice upstairs to the room where Emma was busy pulling the covers back.

"You... got her pajamas?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow. She was mildly impressed with Emma's preparation.

"Yeah. I figured since you wanted to rely on Kathryn for Alice's clothes, I could at least get her pajamas and some basic stuff. I put a toothbrush in the bathroom Henry uses so Alice can brush her teeth. It's the light blue one. Also," Emma beamed proudly, "I picked up some underwear and a few more casual clothes. They're in the drawer."

Regina turned to Alice and pointed down the hallway to the bathroom. "Go on and brush your teeth, Alice. Henry should already be done. You heard Emma, right? Your toothbrush is the blue one." Alice nodded and obediently headed down the hallway. She watched as Alice disappeared into the bathroom and then turned to Emma. "I'm honestly impressed with you."

A grin grew on Emma's face as she crossed the room to where Regina stood in the doorway. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, pulling her closer. "I'm not that bad, you know."

"I'm really glad you decided to come and stay here, Emma. I know I kept pestering you about it, but I just want you to be here with me." Regina grasped Emma's shirt, laying her head on the blonde woman's shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder if this is really happening or not... us, I mean. I spent so long being alone and angry that you really feel like a dream."

"You're not dreaming, Regina. I'm here. I'm very alive and I'm not going anywhere. You made me really work my ass off to be with you and there's no way in hell that I'm going to lose you now." Emma replied as she leaned in to kiss Regina's lips. The former Queen hummed happily into the kiss.

Regina felt a tug on the back of her shirt. She turned to see Alice behind her, looking up expectantly. "All done, Alice?" The girl nodded in response. "Emma brought you some pajamas. Let's get changed and get into bed."

Emma released her girlfriend and walked over to the bed where she picked up the pajama set. Despite having spent more time with Regina, Alice wasn't oblivious to the fact that Emma was also there to take care of her. She walked over to Emma and graciously took the pajamas from her. Emma helped Alice unclasp the dress zip it down. As Alice stepped out of it, Regina hurried over to pick up the garment and hung it in the closet. She could literally hear Emma's eye roll in her head at Regina's need to tidy everything up.

Once Alice was dressed, she climbed into the bed and wiggled herself under the covers. Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and held the rabbit doll in her lap. The toy was a simple white rabbit with one bent ear and black bead eyes. She held it out to Alice with a smile, "Got something for you, kid. Like it?" Alice slowly took the toy from Emma, then hugged it almost as tight as she did Regina's purse earlier that day. She nodded her head in thanks and snuggled the bunny close to her. Regina walked over and stood beside Emma, placing her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Did you like staying with Regina today, Alice?"

The response was a vigorous nod. Regina smiled and leaned over the girl, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I hope you like staying here with us, Alice. I really enjoyed spending the day with you. Emma and I want you to stay here for as long as you can. Would you like that?" Another grateful nod was given, this time accompanied by a yawn.

"All right, kiddo. Time for bed." Emma announced, standing up. She pulled the covers over Alice's shoulders before taking Regina's hand and leading her out the door. She placed her hand on the light switch and looked over her shoulder. "We're just in the next room if you need anything, okay? Good night, Alice." She switched off the light, filling the room with darkness, causing the nightlight in the electrical socket to interrupt the dark. Emma closed the door behind them, leaving it open just a crack.

They passed their room and continued to Henry's. Regina knocked on the door softly before pushing it open. Henry was curled up on his bed with an X-Men comic in front of him. He looked up as his mothers came in and greeted them with a smile.

"Hey, kid. Ready for bed?" Emma asked, walking over and purposely messing up his hair. He reached up and swatted at her hands, ducking away from her attack.

Regina sat down on the bed in front of Henry. "How do you like Alice, Henry?"

The boy shrugged, "She doesn't really talk or anything, but that's okay. Maybe she's cursed like you were and Ma and I can help break the curse."

Emma rose an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side regarding her son. "So you're okay with her staying with us for awhile?"

Shooting his blonde mother an exasperated look, Henry put his comic book away and lay back on the pillows, "Ma, you and Mom broke _the_ curse. I really hope you can break Alice's curse, too."

"All right, all right." Emma said, smiling down at Henry. "You've got school in the morning and I'm ready to pass out. Time for bed."

Henry pulled the blanket up over his chest and lay back. Regina leaned in and kissed his forehead, then moved back so Emma could do the same. After both wishing their good nights to Henry, they closed the door to his room and retreated to Regina's.

"Oh my god, I'm exhaustsed..." Emma sighed as she sat down on the bed. She hadn't bothered to even open her duffel and take out clothes. She just plopped down on Regina's bed and watched as the deputy mayor closed the door behind her.

Regina's eyes darkened as she strode across the room to Emma. She grabbed the sheriff by the lapels of her worn out leather jacket and pulled her up, kissing her hard. Emma was not about to protest, despite how tired she was actually feeling. She could tell quickly that Regina was waiting quite awhile for this. The lingering taste of wine sat on Regina's lips and Emma pushed her tongue past them, as if she were attempting to drink the wine itself.

Grasping Regina by the waist, Emma pulled her down onto the bed. They bounced slightly on the mattress, lips never separating. Regina pulled back and gasped for breath, "I thought your parents would never leave."

"Shut up, Gina, we're in the middle of something." Emma leaned up and brought her lips to meet Regina's again. Her hands drifted up the woman's arms to her grey blazer and slid it off her, tossing it to the side without a second thought. Hands drifted across Regina's shoulders and breasts before fiddling with the buttons that held the satin blue shirt to her body. Regina's fingers weaved themselves into Emma's blonde hair, grasping fistfuls of curls and waves. She turned her head to break the kiss and nip at Emma's ear, eliciting a heated sigh from the blonde sheriff. Emma's skin was tinged with the scent of old leather, acacia wood and spices; an intoxicating mixture of her dingy jacket and her perfume. Regina inhaled softly, her hands pulling up Emma's white tank top and sliding her hands beneath it. She let out a low throaty chuckle as her hands reached Emma's breasts, finding no bra to restrict her wanting fingertips. Emma sighed at the touch just as she slipped the blouse off of Regina's body. It fell to the side, sliding off the bed and into a crumpled heap on the floor.

Regina stood up, drawing herself away from her lover to shimmy out of her grey skirt and heels. "Jacket, off." she ordered. Emma sat up, yanking the jacket from her shoulders and throwing it halfway across the room. Regina rolled her eyes, "You're cleaning up later."

"Anything you want, Madame Mayor." Emma said playfully, her voice surprising her with how low it had dropped with desire. She stood up and pulled Regina to her, wrapping her hands around the woman's back to unlatch her lacy blue bra. "Aww, you wore my favorite color."

"Think of it as a welcoming gift for your first night in this house." Regina slid the bra off her shoulders while skillfully keeping her breasts covered with her arm. She dangled the bra in front of Emma, then tossed it to the side as the sheriff reached out to snatch it from her. Emma could barely stop the grin that crept across her face as she took in the sight before her. Regina's figure was well kept from her meticulous healthy diet. Although she wasn't as toned as Emma, Regina's body was soft with feminine curves in the right places; something Emma couldn't resist. The former Queen of the Enchanted Forest lands was the most beautiful when she was so perfectly human like this. Emma's heart soared. The whole situation involved crossing worlds, breaking boundaries, shattering imagination and defying reality, but in the end this woman was all hers. Every bad foster home, half-hearted relationship, and hope rendering situation that Emma had been through was now worth every moment for the mere fact that all those things brought her here. She sighed as Regina was doing a turn in her lace blue panties for Emma to see. The sheriff gently pulled Regina into her arms as she finished her sexy little pirouette. Burying her face in the crook of her neck, Emma sighed softly, inhaling the luscious scent of apples and cinnamon, a well balanced combination of her affinity for the forbidden fruit and Emma's spicy musk-heavy perfumes. Regina tilted her head to the side, curious as to why Emma had calmed down after so much built up libido just a moment ago. "What's wrong, Em?"

"Nothing." Emma answered into Regina's neck. She bit at the skin and kissed it, drawing her tongue on her lover's flesh and sucking on it lightly. Regina groaned softly, letting herself get lost in Emma's gentleness. "Everything is just… I didn't know how much I would want this until I actually had it."

Sensing that Emma was not feeling lust so much as romance, Regina pulled away from her, brushing her hands along Emma's arms before walking away. She moved to her side of the bed and pulled the covers back. Regina stretched out and leaned against the pillow, offering a smile and open arms to Emma. "Come here." The blonde smile, grateful for the pace slowing down. She wanted to enjoy her night with Regina, not rush through it and pass out after sex like usual. Emma moved to crawl into the bed and Regina shot her the Evil Queen glare. _"Everything off except your panties, Swan,"_she growled. Emma gulped air and nodded. She stepped back and undressed herself clumsily, but in an attempt to please her girlfriend, she took a moment to pick up the discarded clothes and drape them across Regina's vanity chair. Emma looked up to see that Regina was smiling approvingly. Her efforts acknowledged by her girlfriend, Emma grinned and happily climbed into the bed with Regina. She slid her arm beneath the brunette's neck and around her shoulders, almost forcing Regina to use her shoulder as a pillow. Bodies pressed close together, surprising both of them at how hot the other's skin was. Green eyes met deep brown ones before Regina moved upward to kiss Emma. They lingered in the kiss, legs and arms intertwined, arousal growing rapidly from their closeness. Regina felt the sheriff's breasts press against hers, bodies pulsating with desire.

Feeling a bit of autumn chill over their bodies, Emma reached for the sheets and pulled the fabric up to their waists. Regina's hand grasped the back of Emma's head, pulling her back down for another kiss, immediately pushing her tongue past soft pink lips. Emma moaned into the kiss, her breath becoming heavy as her arousal strained at her core. She moved her leg over Regina's hips, causing the brunette to shift herself between Emma's legs. Turning her head, she brushed her tongue lightly against Regina's earlobe, placing kissing along her jawline, down her neck and sucking lightly against the pulsing vein. Regina pushed up against Emma, her hips rising slightly off the bed. But Emma wasn't ready to give in yet. Her hand trailed down the brunette's body, tracing invisible lines from her shoulder, her waist, down to her hip where Emma's fingers toyed with the elastic band of Regina's blue panties. She tugged at them slightly, as if testing their durability. Her hand left the band alone and trailed further along Regina's hip, grazing her thigh. Emma's mouth had found its way along Regina's collarbone, the sensation earning Emma another buck of Regina's hips.

"Emma..." Regina's voice was soft in the blonde's ear, her mind almost completely blank with desire. That was the sign, the command, the plea that Emma was waiting for. She moved her hand between Regina's legs, not at all surprised at how damp and slippery those blue panties had become. Emma sucked in her breath, relishing in the sheer amount of desire that manifested between Regina's legs; a hot, liquid show of just how much the former Queen had opened herself to the blonde woman, coated Emma's fingertips like honey. It wasn't even worth the effort to pull the fabric from the woman writhing beneath her. Bunching the wet panties to the side, Emma slid a long finger into Regina's dripping center, curling her finger inside, pressing against the tender walls of flesh. Regina gasped as Emma entered her, dark manicured fingernails digging into Emma's back below her shoulder blades. Regina's head rolled back as she pushed her body against Emma's hand. The sight of Regina completely allowing herself to be taken by the woman whose mere presence made her melt, convinced Emma to reward her with another finger. Regina could barely hold back the moan that threatened to escape past her lips. Emma pressed her thumb against the sensitive bit of flesh she knew would send Regina over the edge. She shimmied her body lower until she reached Regina's center. She lapped her tongue over the tiny hardened nub that contained all of the brunette's lust. Regina cried out, dragging her fingernails across Emma's back and grasping her blonde hair in balled up fists. Emma drove her fingers hard, deeper, adding another as she slid her fingers in and out of Regina. Emma loved the taste of the woman before her, but with her heart soaring with actual love, she craved Regina's lips. She scooted herself upwards again, kissing along her lover's stomach, breasts and neck, inadvertently pumping her hand harder inside of Regina, hitting just the right spot and putting pressure on the swollen bud.

"Emma... Oh, god, I'm so close... keep going." Regina begged. Emma wrapped one arm around her, pulling her closer and driving her fingers deeper into the woman in her arms. Regina clawed at Emma's back, holding her as if she were the only thing keeping her from floating away in pleasure. Regina's hips swayed, riding Emma's fingers as she took to biting lightly on her lover's ear. Emma hissed softly, Regina's fingernails digging fine red lines along her shoulder blades. The ones from before were just starting to heal, but each one was worth the bit of pain to see Regina like this.

Regina let out a sharp gasp as her orgasm peaked. Her arms held Emma tight against her, she smiled and kissed at Regina's neck, sucking hard on her pulse point. Regina buried her face in Emma's shoulder, riding out her orgasm and calling out Emma's name softly. She fell back suddenly, breathless and smiling brightly. Emma cupped her hand to Regina's face, returning the smile. "You okay, Gina?"

Regina touched her hand to Emma's, then sat up and kissed her softly. "Just perfect. How is it that you can make me feel that way?"

"Because I love you." Emma replied simply. Sometimes that was all it took, simple words of honesty and love that made Regina feel her heart jump up to her throat and beat there like a wild drum. A year ago, she would try to push it back down, ignore the tightening in her stomach that arose whenever Emma Swan met her gaze. A year ago, Regina refused to admit that the feelings that arose when Emma was around was love. It was unreasonable, illogical and just plain ridiculous to her that the daughter of her enemy was the one answer to her happiness. _How ironic..._ Regina mused to herself. Now she couldn't begin to picture what her life would be without the love of Emma Swan and Henry. It was as if that love were the only thing that kept Regina from turning the town in upon itself and send everyone back to the Enchanted Forest. That love, of the Savior and her son, was worth leaving every bit of magic behind.

"I love you, too." Regina replied. Yes, it was that simple. That was all she needed and Emma knew it. To reward Emma for her sweet words, Regina brushed her fingertips along Emma's waist, sliding her hand purposely down her lover's body to find the dripping state of arousal her partner was left in. Regina smirked, enjoying how responsive Emma's body was to her. Emma gave an appreciative sigh as Regina's fingers toyed with her wetness. She stayed there on her hands and knees, looking down intensely at deep brown eyes. She rolled her eyes upward and closed the space between them with a kiss as Regina's long thin fingers entered her. She wanted it, no, she needed this from Regina. The affirmation of physical love was sometimes what she craved from this woman, more than anyone she had ever been with.

Emma felt a cold gust of air on her back before she was pushed away suddenly by Regina. The brunette's fingers retreated from her so quickly that Emma almost came from the withdrawal. Frantic hands grabbed at her as Regina pulled Emma to her and the covers up over them. When Emma turned to see what Regina was reacting to, she was surprised to see blonde hair framing the face of a frightened child holding a stuffed bunny.

Neither of them were appropriately dressed to be tending to children. Emma yanked the comforter up to her chest as Regina slipped out of bed with the white sheet wrapped around her. She put her hand to Alice's face and smiled softly. "What is it, honey? Are you all right?" Alice lowered her head and shuffled closer to Regina. "Did you have a bad dream?" Alice nodded confirmation. "Oh, sweetie... You can sleep with us if you want."

Emma groaned. She was definitely going to be denied her release now. Regina looked up and visually scolded Emma for her whining. She rolled off the bed just as Alice climbed in while Regina went to her dresser to pull out some pajamas. Alice sat in the middle of the bed, clutching her doll and keeping her eyes on the dark haired woman. Emma stalked past Regina and headed into the bathroom. "Where are you going?" Regina demanded, a slight tone of irritation in her voice. She hated it when Emma acted like a spoiled child. It was just sex, it wasn't as if they'd never do it again.

"I need a shower." Emma answered apologetically. "A cold one."

Regina couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sorry, Em. Come back to bed when you're done, please?" She worried slightly that despite the fact that Emma agreed to live with her, she still had issues with it. Habits were hard to break, but Regina was sure that her girlfriend would come around.

Emma kissed Regina softly before turning to the bathroom. "I won't be long, I promise." She was pretty close earlier, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes for Emma to take care of herself. Regina was a bit disappointed, but tending to Alice was a bit more important than tending to Emma's libido.

She climbed into bed with Alice, wrapping her arms around the child and holding her close. Alice snuggled against Regina, a smile playing across her face. When Emma got out of the shower and found the state they had fallen asleep in, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She eased herself into the bed beside Alice and turned herself to face them. Regina's eyes fluttered open long enough to see that Emma was there. She smiled and draped her arm over the little girl to reach for Emma's hand. Their hands met and fingers weaved together as they both allowed sleep to win, their joined hands resting over the little girl they felt so desperate to protect.

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**Hope you guys liked this one! Again, sorry I couldn't separate the sexy times. **

**Please review! I always appreciate the feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we are again! Thanks again for all the reviews. I'm kind of a sucker for them. This chapter is a little bit short, but we're building towards some exciting stuff. **

**Again, I don't own the characters. It's a fanfiction. We all know this.**

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**Around Town**

"Thank you. I'll do that." Emma hung up the black phone on her desk with a sigh. She had been on hold for over an hour while child services researched missing children. No reports have come out for a girl named Alice, which relieved Emma slightly. After seeing how well her girlfriend took to the child, she didn't want to see the child go. Regina Mills was always so sharp and hard edged when it came to politics and her social interactions with the townsfolk. But when they were at home, she was a completely different person and Regina adored Alice. The child was somehow a catalyst in bringing out a softer side of Regina that Emma had only seen once or twice.

She picked up her cell phone and checked the time. It was getting close to lunch and she had promised Ruby that she'd stop by. Emma pushed herself away from the desk, rolling on the uncomfortable hard desk chair. She reminded herself to finish that purchase order for a new chair. Knowing her girlfriend, Regina would purposely let the request sit unanswered for an undetermined amount if time just because it was something Emma wanted.

Emma left the station and headed for Granny's, surprised to see that Regina and Alice were seated for lunch. She approached the table and casually slid into the booth next to Alice. "Hey, kiddo. Hey, beautiful. Didn't know you would be here for lunch."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma and sighed, "I was trying to call the station to invite you out but it's been busy all day. Where have you been?"

"Sorry. I've been on the phone with child services. We...might want to talk about it later." Emma said, looking down at Alice next to her. The girl was quietly hugging the white rabbit in her arms, watching Emma and Regina with curious blue eyes. Emma reached up and ruffled the girl's hair, which Regina had taken to curling slightly this morning, making Alice resemble Emma even more. She looked like a miniature version of the sheriff in the Mayor's clothes.

Ruby approached their table with a big smile. "Hi, Emma. Didn't see you come in." She set down a cup of coffee in front of Regina and an orange juice for Alice. "By the way, this kid is adorable! Regina was just telling me about her."

"Hey, Rubes. Sorry, I know we were supposed to have lunch but..." Her voice trailed off as she gazed at Regina.

"Don't cancel your plans on my account," Regina said hotly. She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Alice and I have errands to run."

Ruby flashed a big red lipsticked smile, "Come on, Regina, don't be that way. I like it when we all hang out together."

"Miss Lucas, we have _not_ 'hung out' before so I do not see where you're getting the assumption that it is enjoyable." Regina hissed. She scowled at Emma who kicked her shoe under the table. Her partner just smiled at her, which translated into a reminder that she needed to be softer with the residents of Storybrooke. She wasn't the Evil Queen anymore, she was simply Regina Mills, deputy mayor. While some still retained a bit of resentment for the past, the general public had opened their hearts to her, Ruby being one of them. Regina poured a bit of sugar into her coffee, blinking a few times as if she were wishing away her harshness. "I am sorry, Ruby. I am not...accustomed to people wanting to spend time with me."

Ruby grinned, sliding into the booth next to Regina. She caught the irritated glare the older woman shot at her and only answered by bumping her shoulder against her. "Well, get used to it, Madame Mayor. Real friends will never leave you and they will annoy the shi... I mean, they'll annoy you." She smiled sheepishly after catching her language. Children at the table.

"Rubes, if you're sitting here, who's working?" Emma asked, glancing around the diner. Her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair when a nervous young girl with light brown hair arrived to their table, her face showed the epitome of nervousness.

"Ladies, this is our new waitress, Aurora. I'm sure you've met before."

Aurora shuffled her feet shyly. She wasn't used to the flat shoes that Ruby called 'sneakers' nor the short skirt that fell just above the middle of her thighs, or the strange way the wolf-girl had piled her hair on the top of her head. "Emma, it's a pleasure to see you again. Um, my name is Aurora and I'll be your server today?" Aurora said automatically, reciting the lines that Ruby had taught her.

Regina raised an eyebrow before locking eyes with Emma. The sheriff shrugged slightly. It was clear that Aurora hadn't been in Storybrooke for long. The deputy mayor put on her well practiced 'just for show' smile, causing Aurora to shrink back slightly. Regina felt Emma kick her shoe again, but she ignored it. She was in her moment of power and even Emma couldn't break that. Aurora was... an acquaintance. Regina knew of her from Maleficent, it was how she discovered that her dark fairy friend had such a powerful sleeping curse. Regina had even gone to the Forbidden Castle herself once, to see the sleeping princess as proof of Maleficent's ability. "Aurora... Lovely to see you again, dear. Did you have a nice nap?"

Aurora's jaw dropped. Quickly followed by Emma hitting her head softly on the table. "Babe...really?" she muttered. Regina ignored her, frankly, she was having fun teasing the flustered young Princess. Alice tugged at Emma's sleeve with a look of concern. "It's nothing, Alice. Regina is just...a little tired." Alice seemed to understand and took to playing with her bunny.

Regina was too far gone in her teasing to stop. She smirked playfully, "How's Phillip, Aurora?" Ruby winced. Phillip was a sensitive subject. Thankfully the diner was relatively empty, because the deviousness that seeped from Regina was almost physically manifested in the air. Yes, she had even known about Phillip. She had laughed genuinely when Maleficent recounted the story about turning him into a yaoguai.

Before Aurora could come up with a defensive retort, the entrance bell jingled, signaling the arrival of someone new. Mulan stepped into the diner with a huge smile on her face. She was dressed in tight jeans and a green button down blouse with a black women's blazer, finished with high black boots. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, highlighting her brown almond eyes and big smile. She spotted Aurora right away and grasped her hand. "Aurora! You'll never believe what I saw this morning! A giant yellow beast carried children in its belly and travels upon black sho... Oh, excuse me." Mulan trailed off, finally noticing Ruby, Emma, Regina and Alice at the table. She nodded to Emma and Ruby, but was not so familiar with Regina.

Initially perturbed at the interruption of her little game, Regina began to glare at Mulan with disregard. Her expression changed quickly as she slightly opened her mouth in a smile, her lips touching her teeth at her observation. "I see you've upgraded from that Prince, Aurora. I didn't catch your name, Miss..."

"Mulan. Fa Mulan." She looked at Ruby who tilted her head curiously. Mulan suddenly realized that this world was not her own and things were a bit different, as Ruby had tried to explain to her and Aurora when they arrived in Storybrooke. "I mean, Mulan Fa." It wouldn't do to have the town thinking her first name was Fa.

"Well, Miss Fa," Regina started cooly, "It seems that you've been hustled into playing the new role of Aurora's prince." She chuckled to herself, this was getting to be a lot more fun than she realized.

"Wha-? How dare you speak to my Princess in such a fashion! Who do you think you-"

"Enough!" Emma exclaimed. Alice and Ruby shrank back in their seats so far that it almost appeared as if Ruby had wolf ears to tuck into her head. "Oh man, see? Will you guys chill out, already? Look, you're scaring Alice. Regina, baby, stop antagonizing them. Say you're sorry."

Regina scoffed, "I'll do no such thing." Emma glared at her girlfriend across the table. Regina glared right back, not quite ready to give up. Emma didn't challenge Regina to a staring contest often, but when she did, it was the cue that Regina was getting a little bit out of hand. Even if she were just teasing, it often leaned on a bit of that old deviousness that was engraved into her. One doesn't go thirty years without learning how to enjoy a little schadenfreude once in awhile. She turned away from Emma and locked eyes with Mulan, sizing her up with an almost predatory vibe emanating from her.

After what seemed to be half an hour (five minutes) of intense glaring, Mulan blinked and smiled. Regina leaned back and laughed, the sound of her voice echoing like a melody. "You're all right, Mulan. Sorry I was being hard on you and Aurora. You're new to Storybrooke, aren't you?"

Emma snapped her head up, not sure what had transpired. She looked at Ruby desperately who shrugged with a grin. Ruby, if anyone, understood what had gone on between Regina and Mulan. It was common when two alpha females came across each other. She was just happy it didn't turn into a brawl. Aurora looked between Mulan and Regina with utter confusion. "So... what just happened?"

Regina nodded in approval, "I've decided that these two will do just fine here in Storybrooke. Mulan, would you care to join us for lunch?"

"Oh... perhaps another time, thank you. I was actually coming to see how Aurora was doing on her first day and if Ruby could instruct me in locating the local authorities." Mulan replied.

Ruby leaned over the seat towards Aurora, "You might want to tell Granny that we're gonna need two double cheeseburgers with fries, a salad with dressing on the side, no croutons, and a kid's grilled cheese sandwich. I think we'll be here awhile. Oh, and a soda for Emma." Aurora nodded, casting a sideways glance at Regina and tapping Mulan's shoe with her toe. Mulan smiled as Aurora passed, satisfied that she would be all right here with Ruby. "What's wrong, Mulan? Why do you need the police?"

"Is that what they are called here? Poh-leese? I was actually wondering if I may ask to join their ranks. I am a soldier and I believe my skills would prove useful." she said confidently.

"Oh really?" Emma smirked. "What sort of skill do you have, Mulan?"

"I am a trained warrior in the Emperor's Army. I have felled a great many enemies and my abilities with the bow and sword are top notch. Because of this, I am granted the privilege to be Princess Aurora's guard." Mulan straightened her back and held her head high, an obvious show of pride for her dedication to service.

Emma stifled a giggle, "I see. Well, I don't think those skills will be that useful here, but we could certainly use a hand or two. Especially since Ruby is too busy most of the time to actually put time into the station anymore." Ruby playfully scowled at her friend.

"As I recall, Emma Swan, you are called the savior, correct? You were a valuable companion during our travels to locate the giant's compass. It is because of your efforts that I am able to begin life anew here with Aurora. I will listen to your guidance."

Regina could no longer hold back the grin she was so desperately trying to hide. She really wanted to tease the girl more, to take advantage of how naive she was. "Mulan, my Emma is the town's sheriff. She's exactly the person you need to see if you want to work for the police."

Emma rolled her eyes upward and smiled at Regina. "What my partner means to say is that we would love your help, Mulan. If you're not busy, why not come to the station after lunch. I'll show you around."

"I would be happy to do so. Thank you." Mulan bowed at the waist before she excused herself and went towards the back to tell Aurora she was leaving.

Ruby leaned back and sighed, "That got a little... intense."

"Regina, what in world was that all about?" Emma looked utterly exasperated with Regina's earlier behavior.

"Testing the new blood, dear. You have to understand that people who move from the Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke will be a little confused. I was just helping set the tone."

"By scaring Aurora and having a staring contest with Mulan? Seriously?" Emma threw her hands up in the air, but having no outlet for her confusion and frustration, she relaxed and placed her hand on Alice's head. "You okay, kid? Christ, Regina, you scared her earlier."

Regina's face softened immediately. "I'm sorry, Alice. Are you mad at me?" Alice shook her head and held up her bunny with a smile. Regina let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She raised her eyes to meet Emma's, then looked away apologetically. "I got a little carried away. I apologize. To you as well, Ruby. I just wanted to tease them a little."

"I think they'll be all right, Regina." Ruby said, offering her usual bright smile. "But it might be a good idea to apologize directly to Aurora. She's a bit skittish."

Regina rolled her eyes upward and sighed, "Fine." When Aurora returned with half of their lunch, she set it down warily on the table. Her hands shook while she put down Regina's salad. The deputy mayor cracked a real smile, "Aurora, I apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to upset you that much."

Aurora snapped her head up. She wasn't quite sure if she should be even more frightened or grateful that Regina wasn't truly out to destroy her happiness. She looked at Ruby and Emma who she hoped would give her clear warning. Aurora relaxed when she saw that Emma was in no way distraught and that Ruby was still smiling, watching the exchange. She nodded in response, then hurried off to retrieve the rest of lunch.

Emma sighed, "Regina, would it kill you to be a little nicer?"

"What if it did?" Regina gazed up at Emma as if she had just threatened to leave her.

"Don't give me that face, Regina Mills." Emma continued to look right into her girlfriend's eyes and the multitude of experiences that they reflected. She sighed, giving in to Regina's version of puppy eyes, "I would..." _Curse this place and everyone in it for you._ "Can we not have this conversation? Come on, it was supposed to be a light, easy lunch. Just hanging out."

Ruby giggled as the rest of their lunch arrived. "Sometimes I can't sit here and watch you two. It's so cute that it almost makes me sick. Em, make sure you tell me if Belle and I start acting so sweet on each other."

Emma and Regina turned on Ruby, "You do." They replied in unison. Ruby stopped raising her burger to her face, trying her best to look shocked. In truth, she was a little. Not at their comment, but just at how well they fit together. Even she didn't expect that the blonde upstart from Boston would be the one to grant Regina Mills her happiness.

"All right, I get it." Ruby said with a smirk. "So, what's this I hear about a weekend trip? Where are you going?"

Emma had already begun to dig into her burger and fries, checking in the corner of her eye to see if Alice was eating as well. Regina smiled, relaxing visibly before bringing her salad closer to her. She turned slightly to face Ruby. "We decided it would be a good idea to all go out, so that Alice could really settle in with this family. As long as this girl is with us, I intend for her to feel like she belongs."

"Weprmhp" Emma started, but after catching the irritated glare from her girlfriend, she swallowed her food and took a sip of her soda. She cleared her throat and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. Gina and I talked about it last night. Sounds like we're headed to a private ranch resort somewhere up north a bit."

"Private ranch?"

Regina nodded, "I called in a favor from a colleague in Boston. His uncle owns an orchard and ranch not that far away. It's not exactly open to the public, but they keep a large estate and spa for guests."

"Sounds huge," Ruby replied, clearly impressed.

"Gina showed me some pictures of it earlier. There's a stable where my dad can teach Henry and Alice how to ride. I could definitely enjoy a massage and Gina liked that there's a private apple orchard." Emma grinned.

"I don't know how I feel about other people giving you a massage." Regina sneered, halfway pouting into forkful of salad.

Ruby just rolled her eyes and bit into her burger. It was all she could do to keep from commenting on the couple's behavior. The rest of lunch went over smoothly. Once Regina had gotten her devilish kicks out of teasing Aurora, she was much more pleasant to the girl. Aurora had even returned to the table once or twice to chat with them more, relaxing each time Regina would smile at her. The Princess was used to Emma and Ruby, but she was no stranger to Regina's intensity and it scared her that she would know of the sleeping curse or of Phillip. She couldn't help but feel that Regina was connected to Maleficent in one way or another. It was just something she felt in the pit of her stomach. But on Ruby's friendly guidance, Aurora pushed her worries to the back of her mind and allowed herself to relax. There was no magic in Storybrooke, so she didn't have that much to worry about.

* * *

After lunch, Emma walked Regina and Alice to City Hall where Regina could do a little work before heading home. Emma returned to the station to find Mulan waiting diligently in the entry.

"Sorry, Mulan. Didn't mean to make you wait. So, how are you liking Storybrooke?" Emma asked as she walked into the office, tossing her jacket on her chair. Mulan had followed her, standing beside the desk outside of Emma's office.

"It is... interesting. I do not think it is necessary to state that Storybrooke is nothing like the lands Aurora and I came from."

"No, but the people are. Well, they've adjusted to it, but I'm sure you were aware of that before coming." Emma said as she sat down at her desk. She opened her email to see if there was anything from child services. Nothing. Narrowing her eyes at the screen in frustration, she opened up the child services website to continue searching for any records of Alice. But without a last name or anything but appearances to go by, she was coming up pretty short.

Mulan slowly walked into Emma's office and sat down in chair next to the desk. "There was a sign, for those who wished to leave the lands and begin their lives new in a world without magic. Back home, it seemed like very few wanted to cross over. Is it so wonderful to be in a world without magic?"

Emma stopped typing and leaned back, "It's... well, I didn't grow up where I was born, so as a kid, I used to think that living in a world where magic was real would be really awesome. I was an orphan, sort of, and I had always wished for magic to find my parents." She chuckled to herself, thinking back on the memories. "In a way, magic really did find them."

"You are the daughter of nobility. That is a known fact, Emma. Why would you not want to return to your homeland?"

"It doesn't really exist anymore, does it? Plus, I have Henry and Regina. We've all settled in here and I don't think anyone really wants to leave. Besides, you probably can't get a good bear claw and hot cocoa out there."

Mulan tilted her head in confusion, "Bear... claw? You would eat the claws of a beast? I did not imagine that the abilities of the Savior included devouring talons."

"Oh, Mulan... you have a lot to learn about this place." Emma replied as she continued typing again. She would keep searching, but she hoped that Alice would just end up becoming theirs. It didn't take long for the child to latch onto Regina and frankly, Emma enjoyed seeing the softer side of her girlfriend's personality. She thought the woman used to dote on Henry, but after awhile, he had grown out of his mom's affections. Emma loved that Alice needed Regina and in turn, Regina was showing more of her natural self.

Once she had gone through most of the records that she could access, Emma pushed herself away from her desk and stood up. Mulan watched her curiously and stood up as well. Grabbing the patrol car keys, Emma headed towards the door. "Let's go, we're going to do a patrol. Do you know how to drive?"

"Like... a carriage?" Mulan wondered. Emma sighed audibly and then looked up and smiled. "I suppose that was not what you were referring to. Is it the large boxes on wheels?"

"Yeah, one of those." They walked out to the street where the dingy old patrol car sat outside. Emma unlocked the doors but noticed that Mulan was hesitant to get near it. "It won't eat you, I promise. It's a machine that I control, not a wild beast." She opened the door for Mulan and strode to the other side, climbing into the car. Mulan gingerly climbed into the seat, her eyes growing wide after discovering that the interior was not the belly of a monster.

As they drove around town, Emma explained the patrol route and the typical sort of things that she did during the day. Helping out here and there, checking in with the townsfolk and essentially keeping the peace around Storybrooke.

"Can I just ride a horse around town?" Mulan asked. "I can shoot an arrow and ride full speed. I have no doubts that I will be able to keep the peace in this fashion."

Emma snapped her head in Mulan's direction, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Um... well, it wouldn't be conventional, but there are stables... so... Look, just do a walking patrol for now and I'll see what I can do. Either get you a horse or you learn how to drive a car."

They stopped their patrol at the donut shop just so Emma could get two bear claws and hot cocoa. She was determined to show Mulan that there was nothing in her world that could compare. Emma climbed up on the hood of the patrol car with a bear claw in one hand and hot cocoa in the other. Mulan did the same, looking at the pastry curiously. She watched as Emma took a greedy bite out of her own pastry and followed it with a gulp of hot cocoa. Taking guidance from the sheriff, Mulan also bit into the bear claw, finding its sweetness rather pleasing.

"You are right, Emma. These are delicious. I do not think there is anything like this in my world. But why are they called 'bear claws'?"

Emma looked down at the half eaten pastry in her hand. "Um... I guess 'cause it looks like a paw? Does it really matter if it tastes good?"

"No, I suppose it does not."

"Emma?"

The sheriff turned her head to the sound of the voice that called her. Her face lit up in a smile as she slid off the car, leaving her bearclaw on the paper bag it came in. David was walking down the road, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Dad. Running errands?"

He shrugged casually, "Not really, Regina said she would finish the budget requests so I figured I could pick up your mom from work and take her out to dinner. Are we still on for the weekend?"

"Yeah, we're still on. Gina already made arrangements at the estate, so I think the plan is to drive up Friday afternoon. We should make it there by dinner, if Google Maps doesn't give us any wrong turns," she grinned. Emma remembered Mulan behind her and turned slightly. "Oh, Dad, this is Mulan. She's going to be helping me out at the station from now on. Mulan, this is my dad, David Nolan...or I suppose you would know him as Prince James."

Mulan hopped off the car and bowed at the waist in front of David. "Your Highness, it is an honor."

David looked back at his daughter and then put a hand on Mulan's shoulder. She snapped her head up as if she had violated some sort of royal protocol. He just smiled, "You can call me David. We don't like to stick to the old traditions here. It kind of...weirds out the tourists." He turned to Emma and frowned slightly, "So are you saying you don't need my help anymore?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "It's not that, Dad. We're all going away for a weekend and there's no one here except Ruby. I know she's capable, but do you honestly want to leave her alone _and_ work at Granny's? I've seen Mulan in action. I'm sure she can handle it just fine."

"All right, fine. I'll take your word for it. Since we're here, I wanted to ask, who's car are we taking? I really don't think we're going to be able to fit in your... um... your car, honey," David tried to not use whatever foul name he had thought up for Emma's car. In fact, she was the only one in town who loved her car.

Emma scrunched up her face in thought, then shrugged. "You know what? I didn't even ask Regina. I'm sure she's already thought of it. I'll let you know. We've gotta go finish the rest of our patrol, Dad. See you later." She gave David a quick hug before heading back to the car. Mulan bowed slightly towards David, then hurried to catch up with Emma.

The rest of their patrol went by uneventful. Emma showed Mulan around town and ended up dropping her off in front of the library, where she was planning to meet Belle and Aurora. She waved before driving off, hoping that maybe Belle or Ruby could help Mulan learn more about this world so she wouldn't have to do it during patrols.

* * *

**This chapter ended up being a little bit different. Definitely wanted to make sure that Red Beauty and Sleeping Warrior have a place in this story. Hope you enjoyed Regina's turn of persona for a bit. By far, she's always been my favorite to write about.**

**The Swan-Mills/Charming family trip is coming up soon. Stay tuned and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Did everyone see "The Miller's Daughter"?! OMG, that was intense! Don't worry, we'll still see Cora here in Shattered Looking Glass... after she's done with her Senior Cruise. The problem with a woman who can spin gold is that she doesn't seem to run out of money! (Cora loves ) So it may be awhile before she graces Storybrooke with her presence again. **

**Anyhow, thanks again for all the reviews! To clarify for some readers, David is sort of the town floater. He works with the Dwarves, sometimes he's at the Sheriff station with Emma, other times he's at city hall with Regina. He kinda just goes wherever he's needed. What good hearted prince! **

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**_To Life, Longevity and Parents_**

It was just about dusk when Emma pulled up in her bug in front of Regina's...no, her house. She had only been living with Regina for a few days, but from all the previous times she had spent at the deputy mayor's home, she was quite comfortable and quite at home. Regina had teased her at one point, commenting on how easily Emma curled up on the couch before dinner. She practically lived there months earlier but refused to bring her things over.

When she opened the front door, the immediate scent of dinner hit her. _Awesome, she made steaks. I'm starving, even after that bear claw! _Emma shut the door behind her, dropping her keys and badge on the side table. Following the savory smells coming out of the kitchen, Emma stopped in the doorway to take in the setting before her. Henry and Alice were seated at the table together. He had his favorite book open in front of her and was reading a story. This one was about the last Giant in the Enchanted Forest, and how he saved the magic beans from the conquering humans. Alice seemed to hang on every word that came out of Henry's mouth.

On the other side of the kitchen, Regina was diligently standing over the stove with a bubbling pot. Emma's jaw nearly unhinged itself as she stood, wide mouthed and eyes raking the sight of her lover. Regina hadn't changed from the day. She was still in her black stiletto heels and Emporio Armani black dress. It was one Emma liked in particular, the way the hem fell just above her knees or how the collar dipped down low enough to show just a bit of cleavage. The white gold bracelets on her wrist clanked delicately together as she stirred the pot. Emma felt herself actually gulp air. She licked her suddenly dry lips, brushing her tongue over the tender skin and bit lightly on her lower lip. Regina was... beyond beautiful in Emma's eyes. Everything, from the way her dark hair touched the nape of her neck in soft curls, the slope of her shoulders, to the way she moved, like she were some ephemeral existence; everything that made up Regina Mills, was the one thing Emma couldn't resist. Nor did she want to.

Regina spun around with the pot, ready to place it on the raised tile pot stand on the counter. She looked up to see Emma staring idiotically with her mouth gaping open. "Miss Swan, don't you have other things to do than stand there like a fish?" Emma's mouth flapped silently, trying to find her voice. The staccato of Regina's heels on the kitchen floor echoed like a war drum in Emma's ears, captivating her until Regina was in close proximity that Emma swore she could feel the heat radiating off of the woman's body. Regina leaned in closer and kissed the side of Emma's mouth. "Welcome home, dear. Hungry?"

"For you, yes," she growled in return. Regina pulled away with a smirk and returned to plating the dinner she had finished: Beef Wellington, creamed spinach and roasted potatoes. Emma's stomach growled audibly. She shook herself from her arousal and hunger, taking a deep breath and began pulling off her jacket. "Henry, Alice, go upstairs and get washed up."

"Okay," Henry answered in an absentminded tone. He and Alice got up from the table and quickly retreated upstairs.

Emma hung her jacket on the back of a chair just as Regina put the last plate down. She swaggered up behind the dark haired woman and wrapped her arms around her waist. "God, you look amazing, Regina."

Regina turned in Emma's arms and lifted her hands to the blonde woman's face. Her hands were warm against cool skin which made Regina frown slightly. "Why are you so cold?"

"It's getting chilly outside. But I'll be better in just a bit if you'll let me," Emma purred as she dipped her head to kiss Regina'a neck.

Regina pushed Emma back gently, not attempting to apply any force. "We can't, Emma. The children will be down in a minute."

"I won't take long."

"No." Regina said firmly, pushing Emma at arm's length. "What's gotten into you today?"

The sheriff visibly pouted. "It's just you! I mean, earlier you scared the hell out of Aurora and Mulan, but god damn it, woman, seeing you on fire like that was hot!"

Regina sighed and folded her arms over her chest, "Well then, if you liked it so much, why did you have to act as if I was committing a crime front of everyone else at lunch? Or were you just trying to show off as the big bad sheriff?" She pointed her finger right into Emma's chest, pressing hard on her sternum. Emma winced from the slight pain the pressure caused, but she was lost in the intensity of Regina's eyes. "Don't think for a single moment, Miss Swan, that you can just throw your authority around town. I am still the mayor, deputy or not, and I am still your boss." Regina's voice was oozing with a pure loathing that Emma seemed to bring out in her whenever she challenged the former Queen.

Emma's eyes lit up and she grinned. She swept Regina into her arms and kissed her. "God damn it, you're hot… you've really got to stop being such a walking orgasm."

Despite herself, Regina laughed and kissed Emma, easing her way out of the sheriff's arms. She sauntered away from her blonde, dumbstruck girlfriend to retrieve two wine glasses and a bottle of some fancy California Syrah for dinner. Emma stood there, watching Regina as she desperately tried to catch her breath. The woman was devilishly good at being a tease, swaying her hips just enough to catch Emma's eye. She decided the best way to distract herself would be to pour apple juice for Henry and Alice. Emma griped internally about not having any soda or fruit punch… something completely unhealthy and sweet that kids liked. She remembered growing up on it, even in orphanages and foster homes. _Everyone_ knew what Hi-C was…except for the people in Storybrooke and particularly, her girlfriend.

Henry's heavy footsteps and Alice's delicate ones echoed through the hall as they returned from the upstairs bathroom. They sat down to dinner together, chatting about the day and getting the children excited about the weekend. Regina tended to Alice as if she were already her own daughter, helping her with cutting her meal and enforcing the importance of vegetables. Emma grinned and slipped her hand under the table to squeeze Regina's knee. Their eyes met and Regina's eyebrow crept upward in either shock at Emma's forward behavior or confusion. After a moment, she simply smiled and squeezed Emma's hand with her own.

Emma shook her head and drew back, returning to her meal. A funny sort of warm feeling bubbled up in her chest at just how content this setting actually made her feel. It was surprisingly settling for her. The back of her mind was still running its usual lines of discomfort, but she was getting good at pushing it back. It was always this nagging feeling of uncertainty that made her want to climb out of Regina's bed in the middle of the night or place her shoes in just the right spot to snatch up on her way out. If it wasn't for her deal with Regina, or the fact that she looked like heaven in bed, or that she actually enjoyed waking up next to the woman, she would have stuck to her old routine.

After dinner, Regina allowed for Henry and Alice to watch television. She kept strict rules about what shows were appropriate, which meant they were mostly watching children's programs and what Regina decided were 'tasteful' sitcoms. Emma swore she had seen every possible episode of _Bewitched _and _The Brady Bunch_ just from watching television with Regina and Henry.

As Henry and Alice sat together to watch an episode of _The Partridge Family_, Emma leaned against the door frame with her arms folded. Just as she began to get lost in her musings, she felt a tug on her collar and was pulled back into the kitchen.

With surprising strength, Regina yanked Emma into the kitchen and pressed her against the door of the pantry. "We still haven't taken care of your transgression from today, Miss Swan." Emma gulped air, feeling her heart beat a thousand times faster. "First you act high and mighty, you forget your place, then you try to get the jump on _me_ before dinner? Did you honestly think I was going to let that slide?"

Regina's eyes darkened as she gripped the lapels of Emma's shirt. She leaned in and nipped at Emma's neck. "How... do I make it up to you, Regina?" Each time Regina's lips touched the pulse point of Emma's neck, the younger woman felt a sense of electricity travel through her body. Every bite, every breath and every pull of her skin by Regina's lips and teeth only ignited her arousal from earlier and increased it ten times over.

"Shut the hell up, first," Regina growled low. Her hands drifted to Emma's waist, slowly pulling the shirt from her pants so she could work her fingers onto Emma's stomach. She pressed her body against Emma's as her hands moved further upward, snaking her fingers underneath her lover's bra. _Why the hell is she wearing a bra today? God damn this woman..._ Regina sighed and locked onto Emma's neck, sucking hard on the skin and drawing the blood to a single point above her vein. Emma shivered at Regina's touch and the mix of pain and pleasure that pulsated at her neck.

"Mom?" Henry's voice carried through the hallway into the kitchen. Regina stopped and yanked her hands out of Emma's shirt. Both women groaned audibly. Regina pushed herself hard against Emma and felt the blonde's lips on her forehead.

"Guess we better go see what's up."

Regina sighed and placed a kiss on Emma's lips before moving away from her. "We'll settle this later, Miss Swan." Emma licked her lips enthusiastically, hoping 'later' would come soon.

Henry had called them into the living room for Alice. Well, more for himself actually. She had fallen asleep next to him and his legs were nearly numb from her leaning against him. He didn't seem to mind, but a bed was much more comfortable. Regina smiled and gathered the little girl into her arms. Alice wrapped her arms around Regina's neck as she carried the girl upstairs.

Emma plopped down on the couch next to Henry. He stretched his legs, grateful for the break. He watched as Emma flipped through the tv stations. "Mom blocked a lot of channels."

"I see that," she answered dejectedly. "Man, you guys are stuck watching old reruns of cheesy shows. We should be watching some _Bones _or _Law and Order: SVU._"

"Mom won't let us. She says they're too violent. Doesn't make sense to me, though. She was the Evil Queen. She should be used to that kind of stuff."

Emma stared at her son with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Henry was known for not really keeping his comments to himself, something that was clearly a trait he had inherited from her. Emma scowled and tugged on Henry's ear. "I thought we said we were going to put all that behind us. Don't ever let me hear you refer to your mother as the Evil Queen ever again."

Henry pulled away from his blonde mother. Even though his ear hurt, he smiled at her, "You really do love her, don't you?"

Emma didn't hesitate. "Yeah, I do. She means a lot to me, Henry. I have you to thank for that. Honestly, if you didn't come looking for me, then I wouldn't have come here to Storybrooke. I wouldn't have my parents, real friends, this family or your mom. So... Thanks, kid." Henry grinned as he hopped off the couch, looking up behind his mother.

Regina's voice broke Emma's wistful thoughts. "Time for bed, Henry. Say goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ma." Henry said obediently. He hurried to the steps where Regina stood and looked up at her. "Night, Mom." She cupped his face with her hand and smiled warmly at him before Henry continued up the stairs.

Once Henry was gone, Regina moved across the room to stand in front of Emma. From the sheriff's vantage, from the imposing stance to the sexy black dress and the black stilettos that Regina was _still _wearing, she was sold. She was sold on Regina's appearance, her blatant sex appeal, her ever-changing personality.

"You've got quite the silver tongue there, Emma Swan." Regina straddled Emma on the couch, linking her hands behind Emma's head. Emma put her hands on Regina's hips, pulling her closer. "I do hope you know how to use it."

"I suppose we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Emma grinned, making a move to press her lips against Regina's. She leaned back into the couch with Regina pressing her body into her. Regina's tongue slipped past Emma's lips, forcing them to part as tongues met in a fiery challenge. Their heated kiss left them breathless when they separated. It was only a moment before they were attempting to devour each others' lips again.

Emma's hand reached the top of Regina's dress, slowly pulling the zipper down. Her mouth was otherwise occupied, so her hands blindly reached for the edges of the dress, pulling the fabric from Regina's shoulders and down to her waist. She loved it when Regina wore these dresses, but she worried about ripping the expensive garment whenever they became intertwined like this. The dress was pushed down to Regina's waist, allowing Emma access to the black bra encasing her girlfriend's breasts. With a slick snap of her fingers on the latches, the bra came undone.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" Regina smirked halfway through a kiss.

Emma chuckled, "I'm a genius. Especially when it comes to this... and you."

"Show me. You want to be the one in charge? Let me see it." Regina ordered, her voice deep and tainted with lust. Emma's eyes lost their focus and all she could see was the woman in front of her. She lifted Regina up and nearly threw her roughly on the couch. With her legs free, Emma pulled the dress and Regina's panties off of her with incredible speed. Having the tables turned on her was not something Regina was used to. But she had asked for it. She wanted Emma to take control of her, once in awhile. It turned her on incredibly to lose just a bit of her power to her lover.

Emma wasted no time. She had been patient since the moment she walked through the front door. Her fingertips grazed Regina's skin, igniting sparks of sensual electricity through their bodies. She edged down between her girlfriend's legs, lifting one leg on her shoulder. She planted small kisses along Regina's thigh, causing her to blush incredibly. Regina arched her back slightly, effectively lifting her hips towards Emma as a sort of hint on where she should be headed. Regina felt Emma's heavy breath on her inner thigh before the addicting sensation of her tongue sent flashes of light in her vision. It was always like that, like Emma's natural magic leaked from her being and was engraved into everything she did. But no, there was no magic left in Storybrooke...this sensation was the result of True Love. Regina relished in it. She lifted her hips higher, silently pleading for more. Emma gladly obliged, sliding her tongue across Regina's entrance, tasting her arousal and craving more. Her lips wrapped around the tiny, hardened bud that engulfed all of Regina's desire. The dark haired beauty writhed in pleasure as Emma sucked on it lightly.

Regina scowled between moans, finding that she was too far out of reach to grab Emma's blonde locks and grasp her head. She stretched her arms above her, grabbing hold of the couch arm and clawed at it. "Christ, Emma... Fuck me, damn it!" The command was desperate, heavy with desire. Emma smiled as she kissed the flesh she was toying with in her mouth and slid two fingers into her lover. Regina raised her hips higher, pushing Emma's hand further into herself. Emma grinned hungrily, adding a third finger into Regina and filling the space the woman's wetness would allow. She pumped her hand hard, bruising the delicate flesh and returned her mouth to her favorite bit.

Regina felt more than just her orgasm building in the pit of her stomach. It rose to her chest, engulfing her body. She shook violently as her orgasm filled her every nerve, yet the feeling in her chest escaped to her throat and down to her fingertips. She frantically sat up and grabbed Emma, pulling the woman against her and riding her hand to prolong her orgasm. When she calmed, Emma slid her fingers out slowly and wrapped her arms around Regina. Her girlfriend was sobbing into her chest, dampening her shirt and the ends of her hair.

"Regina? What's wrong, baby? Why are you crying?"

Toned olive skinned legs were wrapped around Emma's waist and Regina was holding her so tightly that she felt as if the air was about to be squeezed out of her. "I... I love you, Emma," came the sob stricken reply. "I love you so much... No one has ever made me feel so good and... It just consumes me. The way you make me feel, the way you touch me... I never want to let this go."

Emma pulled away slightly to look at Regina. She lifted her face in her hand and smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you, too. More than I ever thought possible." Emma eased herself out of Regina's vice-grip leg hold and lifted the woman up into her arms. Regina calmed down and stood up, leaning against Emma. She could feel her orgasm seeping between her legs and she instinctively tightened herself. Emma reached down with one hand and strokes the sensitive area Regina was trying to protect. She whimpered slightly, her knees giving out and turning her to jelly in Emma's arms. "Let's go upstairs."

As Emma led her up the stairs to the bedroom, Regina's resolve and control returned to her. She had allowed Emma to render her into a sobbing emotional fool and that deserved a sort of punishment. Or reward, depending on who you asked. Emma shut the door behind them. She remembered that they had left Regina's clothes in a haphazard pile on the living room floor and she screwed her face up in contemplation. _I better not leave that down there... I'll just go- _Her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp pull at her collar. Before she realized what was happening, Regina had thrown her onto the bed with the most seductive look in her eyes.

"Your turn, Miss Swan," she said darkly. Emma's jaw loosened as she took in Regina's appearance. At some point when her back was turned, Regina had retrieved one of their favorite tools from the nightstand. The black leather harness hugged her hips and swooped beneath her ass, lifting it slightly. The deep raspberry colored appendage that jutted out from Regina's legs was secured tightly into the harness. "You know how this works, dear."

Emma's eyes darkened as she scrambled up on all fours and made her way to the edge of the bed. The slight feeling of humiliation as Emma enclosed her mouth onto the tip was only enough to make her hesitate slightly. She gazed up at Regina who gave her the warmest smile and brushed her hand against her cheek. It wasn't necessarily about control. Regina had that. But this particular activity was more about trust. The trust they shared whenever they indulged like this was beyond what Emma would have ever expected out of a lover.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears. Regina's smile had aroused Emma so much that she knew she was beyond ready. But she had always enjoyed this a bit. She took the appendage into her mouth, allowing it to become wet with her saliva. She kept her eyes fixated on Regina's, lost in the deep brown irises that seemed to accentuate her emotions. Emma only needed to move her mouth along the shaft a few times before Regina pulled her up and met her lips with Emma's. Regina could taste the silicone, herself and a bit of artificial raspberry on Emma's tongue. She savored it, attempting to inhale the flavor in the kiss. It intoxicated her senses and peaked her arousal. She gently pushed Emma onto the bed, lowering herself over the younger blonde woman.

Emma bit gently on Regina's lip as she laid her body between Emma's legs. She let out a soft gasp as Regina entered her. Her head rolled back as she arched her back, allowing Regina access to her breasts. Regina gladly took up the offer, lowering her head to lap her tongue over a soft pink nipple. Emma squirmed beneath her, already moving her hips in such a desperate fashion that Regina didn't really need to do much at all. Emma would have pleasured herself if Regina didn't pull away suddenly and lifted Emma's leg to her shoulder. Another gasp escaped Emma's mouth as she felt the tip of the raspberry attachment nearly break through her womb. Her breaths escaped in heavy gasps each time Regina moved her hips, slowly withdrawing from Emma, then plunging deep into her again. Regina's hand shot over Emma's mouth, silencing her. "Keep it down, you'll wake the children," she hissed.

"I...wouldn't...make so much noise...if you...weren't so good!" Emma retorted between gasps once her mouth was free. Their eyes locked, glaring at each other in an ocular battle for supremacy. Despite the fact that Regina was sexually in control and that Emma was reduced to little more than moaning and clawing at sheets, the electricity between them never faltered.

"Turn around," Regina ordered. Emma was more than happy to oblige. As soon as Regina pulled out from her, Emma shivered and then obediently turned around on all fours. Regina was hardly tall enough to do anything with Emma so high on the bed, so she roughly pulled Emma towards her, forcing the blonde to slide off the bed and lay over the edge. Emma planted her feet on the floor and raised her hips to Regina. Tanned hands grasped Emma's waist and brought her down onto the silicone attachment. She moaned loudly into the sheets as Regina plunged into her. Emma felt one hand on her lower back and the other on her hair, gathering bunches of golden curls.

Emma buried her face in the sheets to muffle her pleasured screams. She turned slightly to breathe out, releasing a short yelp as Regina delved deep into her again. "God, yes... Fuck, Regina, I'm gonna come..."

Regina laid her body over Emma's, wrapping one arm around her waist. Her other hand slipped around Emma's hip and toyed with the sensitive nub that was just barely missed by the by the rhythmic pumping of the devilish thing Regina wore. The blonde woman groaned again, shutting her eyes and pressing her head into the mattress. She could feel the fine sheen of sweat on her back as Regina's breasts came in contact with her skin.

"Do you like this, Sheriff? Do you enjoy being taken from behind?" Regina purred seductively in her ear. "Answer me or I'll stop."

_God damn devil woman... _"Yes," Emma moaned, "Yes, Regina...fuck me harder... I'm so close...let me come."

Truth be told, Regina knew how to wear the harness where it would give her the most friction. Seeing Emma succumb so easily to her was too erotic and she was amply aroused at the mere sight of the woman. She was more than willing to answer Emma's plea for release, increasing the speed of her thrusts and the intensity, pressing deep and hard into her lover while she continued to play with Emma's throbbing nub.

"Come with me, Emma..." Regina instructed darkly. Emma tried to hold out for as long as she could. Her control broke with another flick of Regina's finger and another thrust, sending her into erotic oblivion. She bridged her back, gripping the sheets as her orgasm hit her. Regina released her control as well, continuing to thrust into Emma, bunching blonde hair into her hand and raking her fingernails into Emma's already scratched up back. They rode out their pleasure together, Regina breathing heavily onto Emma's back. She withdrew from her girlfriend slowly and removed the harness and toy before collapsing on the bed beside her. They were both struggling to catch their breath, bodies bathed in a fine layer of sweat. Regina rolled on her side and brushed the blonde hair that stuck to Emma's face behind her ear. She smiled and kissed the younger woman's closed eyes, watching her love come down slowly from her arousal.

"I love you, Emma," she whispered. Regina's heart swelled just saying the words. They rolled off her tongue easily, as if she were always meant to say them to the blonde woman beside her.

Emma smiled goofily and sighed, "I love you, too, Regina." She lazily crawled into the bed, burrowing herself into the sheets. Regina laughed softly before crawling into bed with her, wrapping her arms around Emma's warm body. Regina inhaled the scent of Emma's spice laden perfume and shampoo, smiling to herself in content until they both fell asleep.

* * *

When Regina awoke, Emma was sitting up beside her, partially dressed (she bothered to put a shirt and panties on) and reading something on her phone. She lazily turned on her side and looked up at the blonde woman. Feeling a little playful, she reached up and tried to take the phone from Emma, "It's too early for that."

"Hang on, babe. Kinda important," Emma said distantly, still reading even as she dodged Regina's hand.

Regina sat up and combed her hand through her sex stricken hair. She tried to see what Emma was reading, but her eyes were still unfocused and the font was far too small. She noticed that her dress from last night was draped on the back of her vanity chair and smiled. Emma was learning to pick up around the house. Now if she could just put her clunky boots away. Regina draped an arm across Emma's shoulders, purposely pressing her breasts against the woman's arm. Emma still remained focus on her phone. Frustrated, Regina made a "humph" noise and flopped back onto her pillow, drawing the covers up over her shoulders.

Feeling the bed shake under Regina's over exaggerated pout, Emma finally looked away from her phone. "Gina, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, dear," she answered grumpily, "Go back to whatever it is that's so much more important than me."

Emma resisted her hardest to not laugh. It wasn't often, but when Regina decided she would pout and throw childish tantrums, Emma thought it was the cutest thing she'd ever witness, every time she did it. She put her phone down on the bedside table and lay beside Regina, draping her arm over the other woman's waist. "Babe, don't be mad," Emma said sweetly into Regina's ear. The dark haired woman grumbled and turned her back to her partner, but she didn't bother to move Emma's arm from her waist. In order to quell Regina's stubbornness, Emma began placing kisses all along Regina's spine and shoulders. She fought the urge to turn and kiss Emma, trying her hardest to remain stubborn under her girlfriend's affections. As Emma's hand began to wander up her stomach, she turned on her back to face her. Regina cupped her hands to Emma's face and brought her down for a kiss. "Still mad at me?" Emma asked with a smile.

"I suppose I can forgive you this time," Regina smirked. "But what's gotten you so focused on your phone this morning? You better not be flirting with someone else. I'll destroy them."

Emma chuckled softly at how serious Regina looked. "I'd never betray my true love. I woke up earlier and decided to keep looking for Alice's family. I guess she came from an orphanage because I haven't found any foster records with her in it."

"What do you think about adopting her ourselves? I kept thinking about how she said she's from Wonderland and I'm starting to think she's like us. I mean, from over there," Regina mused. "I wouldn't mind, you know. I think she's very sweet and...please don't tell Henry, but I've always wanted a daughter."

Emma remained quiet for a few moments before she spoke, considering Regina's suggestion. "I don't think it's a bad idea, babe. But we'll definitely want to wait. We don't know what kind of background she has and we'll have to be prepared for it if its worse than what we originally thought."

"You'd deny her a family just because of her background?" Regina asked with a look of surprise.

"No, I'm just saying that we need to be prepared for whatever it is. What if there's other things we don't know how to handle? I was moved out of homes a couple of times...I wasn't exactly the best behaved child in the system."

Regina thought momentarily about a young rebellious Emma Swan. She smiled, "How bad could you have really been?"

"I used to get in fights at school, my grades sucked, I didn't have any friends because they were afraid of me and...I may or may not have had a smoking habit. At thirteen."

Emma winced as Regina slapped her on the shoulder lightly, "What the hell, Emma? I hope you didn't indulge in that sort of thing when you were pregnant with Henry! Thank goodness you don't anymore!" Her eyes narrowed as she scowled at her girlfriend.

"No, I didn't!" Emma defended. "I mean, I was in prison for most of the pregnancy. Cigarettes were hard to come by, at least for me, but I couldn't let Henry suffer just because I was miserable."

Regina's scowl softened as she leaned up to kiss Emma again. "You have a good heart, love. I'm glad for the way things happened, really. I don't think I would have had a happy ending if things didn't turn out the way they did."

Emma's face turned up in her usual goofy smile and kissed Regina's forehead. "Nothing is an ending. It's always a beginning. We're living our own story now."

"I didn't realize you were such a romantic, Emma."

"I'm the White Knight!" she replied proudly. "It's in my contract. You know, sweep you off your feet and annoy you like there's no tomorrow."

"I had no idea you'd fit the job so well." Regina smirked. She wiggled out of Emma's arms and slid off the bed. Unlike Emma, she was still undressed from the night before. The morning air, even within the house, sent a chill through her skin. "As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, it's about time we get up. I'd like to utilize the opportunity of you being up before me and get out of the house on time."

"But...you look too good walking around like that. Can't we just call it a sick day and stay here until we leave tonight?" Emma pouted. She watched Regina walk around the room towards her side of the bed. She gripped the sheets and yanked them off of Emma, sending a cold wind across the blonde's half dressed body. "Christ! Regina, it's freezing! Don't do that!"

A devilish smirk played across the other woman's face as she climbed on the bed and crawled seductively towards Emma. Her eyes focused hungrily on Regina's breasts, the way her hair hung messy around her face and the dark look in her eyes. "If you get up now, you can join me in the shower." She quickly hopped off, leaving Emma with her mouth hanging open. "Or you can stay there and wait for me to get out. Your choice, Swan."

Regina sauntered into the ridiculously large bathroom and turned on the shower. Emma sat for a minute, just trying to process the incredibly sexy method Regina was applying to get her out of bed. She suddenly jumped up, yanking off her shirt and panties to catch Regina in the shower.

* * *

They miraculously left the house on time, even with the fooling around that Regina and Emma succumbed to in the shower. Henry was dropped off at school by Emma before she headed to the station. Regina and Alice took off in the Mercedes to city hall where Regina could finish some work before preparing for the trip. Emma had promised to be ready to go and to pick up her parents so they could leave right away.

She wasn't necessarily surprised when she pulled up to the station to find Mulan waiting outside the door. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail again, but this time she was sporting black jeans, a green turtleneck, high brown boots and a brown jacket. She brought her feet together and stood rigid as Emma got out of the car and approached the station, digging the keys out of her pocket.

"Morning, Mulan."

"Good morning, Sheriff Swan," she answered as Emma opened the door to let them in. "Did you sleep well?"

A blush crept up to Emma's cheeks and she avoided looking at Mulan directly. "Um... yeah, sure. Why?"

"You appear quite rejuvenated and relaxed today. In my homeland, the people have a philosophy: to indulge in the body's pleasures regularly is to ensure a life of longevity." Mulan nodded sagely, passing down the wisdom of her people to someone of this strange land called Storybrooke.

Emma's mouth unhinged itself as she gaped stupidly at the girl. "Excuse me?" She tried to subtly check her jacket for any scent of Regina, just in case Mulan had a weirdly strong sense of smell like Ruby. The she-wolf liked to tease Emma whenever she smelled Regina's perfume amidst the blonde's spicy cinnamon-like scents. _Okay, weird... at least I don't think my jacket smells like apples or anything. Can she smell sex?! No way, that would be creepy and totally inappropriate. This girl is way too perceptive. Good for a cop, I guess. _Emma let out an obligatory cough. "Anyways... Kinda got a lot to go through today. I've got some stuff to research here, so can you do me a favor and check in with the dwarves? They had offered to help rebuild a restaurant that was pretty run down. It's not that far, maybe a couple of blocks down the street."

"Sure... are you not coming?"

Emma's eyes were already fixated on the screen in front of her. "I can't. I've got to send some requests out to the neighboring counties and finish up what I can before tonight. I'll be gone over the weekend, so I'm leaving you and Ruby in charge." She absentmindedly opened the desk drawer and pulled out a shiny badge. She slid it across the desk towards Mulan. "Here, you'll need this. It lets everyone know that you're working for the police. Just wear it on your pants."

Mulan stomped her feet together in a militant salute. She approached the desk and picked up the badge, inspecting it carefully as if it were priceless jade from her world. "I won't let you down, Sheriff." Before Emma could even thank her, Mulan was headed out the door to complete her task.

Emma turned back to her screen. There weren't a lot of orphanages within the immediate area, but she sent inquiries to the six surrounding ones. Emma hoped that one of them would come back with information about Alice.

* * *

Alice sat quietly in Regina's office, swinging her legs that dangled from the high Baroque styled couch. She held one of Henry's fairy tale collection books in her lap, reading about a Swan Princess. She turned the page to a painting of the fair blonde princess surrounded by beautiful swans at her feet. Alice slid off the couch and carried the book to Regina, who sat focused at her desk reviewing the city budget. She tugged at Regina's suit jacket and held the book up.

Regina leaned back and looked down at what Alice was holding. "What's that, sweetie?"

Alice's small hand tapped the princess in the book. "Emma." Regina dropped the heavy Mont Blanc pen she was holding and stared at Alice with her mouth slightly open. Alice tapped the book again and smiled brightly. "Emma."

Regina bit her lower lip before she smiled and lifted the little girl into her lap. "That princess reminds you of Emma? Well, that's mostly true. She is a Princess and many people call her 'Swan.' Do you like Emma, Alice?" The girl nodded vigorously, her ragged blonde hair falling around her face. Regina laughed and pushed the hair out of Alice's eyes. "What about me? Do you like me, too?" Alice nodded again before throwing one arm around Regina's neck to snuggle close to her. Regina gasped softly, trying to hold back the enormous grin that threatened her usually stern features. She hugged Alice close to her, placing a motherly kiss on the girl's head. "Oh, my dear girl... I promise, Emma and I will take good care of you."

Alice wiggled free of Regina's embrace, but remained on her lap. She flipped through the book and found a picture of a dark haired woman in plain clothes. Although she looked simple, she was quite beautiful. Her dark eyes were kind and they looked down on a frail child. Regina glanced at the title of the painting, _The Story of a Mother. _

Regina remembered reading the story before to Henry when he was upset with her for not listening to his demands. She had sat him down in her lap as she read him the story, vividly painting the picture of a beautiful mother who chased Death, who had taken her sick child. The mother sang until her voice cracked, warmed a frozen bramble to her body although it pierced her, gave a lake her eyes and gave an old hag her beautiful dark hair to meet with Death, desperate to save her child. She threatened to destroy two life-flowers of two children, one happy, one sad. Death told her that one of the flowers was her own child. The mother wept and told Death to take her baby if a life of pain would be the fate of her child. Regina had hugged Henry and said to him, "Son, you can be mad at me. But know that I will give up everything for you and I will always try to make the best decisions so you are happy." Henry wasn't mad after that, by that time he had forgotten what he was mad about in the first place. But Regina remembered the story. It touched her and made her long for a mother that would have cared for her like the mother in the story did.

She shook herself from her reminiscing. Alice still had the book open to the painting of the woman and she looked up at her caretaker. "Regina," she said, pointing to the beautiful mother. A tightness formed in Regina's chest, pulling at her heart and making it stop. She hugged Alice to her again, rubbing her hand along the girl's back.

Regina let Alice slide off her lap and watched as the little girl climbed back up onto the couch. She picked up her phone from the corner of her desk and scrolled to Emma's last text. She hit reply and began typing away furiously.

**_She's speaking again, Emma! She said your name and mine!_**

_Alice?_

**_No, my apple tree. Of course, Alice, idiot. You're as bad as your parents sometimes._**

_Aw, come on, babe. Don't be rude._

**_Sorry. Don't ask stupid questions._**

_Fair enough. Glad to hear about Alice. Tell me more later. Sorry, love. Gotta get back to work. Mulan's back from inspecting that new restaurant site._

Glancing at her paperwork, Regina decided she had enough of it for the day. She put her Mont Blanc pen back into its stand and stood up. It was only 11:00 in the morning.

She crossed the room to Alice and bent down in front of the girl. Her hand reached out and brushed the hair from Alice's face. "I think we're done working for the day. Why don't we go do some shopping and get ready for our weekend?" Alice climbed down from the couch with the book in her hands, hugging it to her chest. She scurried towards the door, signaling to Regina that she was ready whenever the woman was. "One second, sweetie."

She picked up the black handset of her desk phone and dialed David's number. It wasn't often that she called him and talking to her former enemy still left a twitch on her lips. From the sound of his voice, David was equally surprised by her call.

"Regina? Is everything all right?"

She resisted rolling her eyes. "Everything is fine. I need you to do something for us before we leave tonight. I've reserved an SUV for us to take up to the ranch. Your truck and my Mercedes just don't have enough space and we are certainly not taking Emma's... thing."

Regina heard a chuckle travel through the phone line. "I understand. But what about Snow's Wagoneer?"

"You've got to be kidding. David, that thing barely runs and you ruined the paint when you tried to scrub graffiti off of it. Just stop by the car rental and pick up the vehicle. I already paid for it and let them know you'd be by."

After arranging a few more details, Regina hung up the phone with David and turned back to her desk. There wasn't much on the surface, other than essential things. A simple photograph of herself and Henry, then one of herself and Emma, flanked either side of her computer screen. She realized that they hadn't taken one as a family. Regina made a mental note to make that happen soon, especially with Alice in their family, if only temporarily. Her matching Mont Blanc desk set went perfectly well with the grey, white and black tones of the room with just a splash of red color here and there. She kept it pretty well organized, but even she succumbed to a bit of chaos whenever budgets and requests came flying at her.

Regina quickly put away her things and tidied up the desk. After placing a phone call to a few other city officials to announce that she'd be gone for the weekend, she shut off her computer and gathered her purse. Their first destination would be to find more clothes for Alice. Regina knew of a fairly large store within town that was owned by a man named Taylor. From what others have told her, he once challenged a giant with nothing more than his needle and thread in the Enchanted Forest. In Storybrooke, he supplied some of the biggest brands and designs from New York, Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco, keeping up with the current trends.

The store had an ample selection of clothes, ranging from casual to formal. She remembered shopping for clothes for Henry when Gold first brought him to her. Regina was lost, she had no idea what the modern world had as far as children's clothes. In her world, children were wrapped in blankets and swaddling cloth. She was much more confident now, having already raised one child. She could barely contain her own excitement as she and Alice browsed the racks, selecting various articles of clothing for Alice It was one thing shopping for a young boy, but buying clothes for a little girl was different. Regina enjoyed the fact that she could dress Alice in clothes that suited her own tastes or dress her up in clothes like Emma's. They played in the store a bit, trying on this and that until Regina looked at her watch. It was well past lunch time. In fact, it was nearing 1pm. She dug her phone out of her purse and was not terribly surprised to find 20 missed messages from Emma. She scrolled through most of them, finding a lot of copies of the same messages later in the morning, as if Emma were trying to make Regina's phone explode.

_Hey, Regina. Calling it early today from the station after I finish training Mulan. The stable master gave permission to have a horse leased to the police station for her. I'm gonna get her to drive one of these days._

_Did you eat lunch yet?_

_I'm at Granny's. Are you and Alice coming by? It's almost noon. Come have lunch!_

_You should be here, babe. I'm actually eating a salad! You'd be proud._

Regina laughed. Emma had actually taken a picture of her salad and sent it to her. She would have been proud, except that Emma had drowned every ounce of nutrition in blue cheese dressing.

_Where are you now? Still at the office? I'm coming by._

_I stopped by the office. Evelyn said you left already. Everything okay?_

_Helloooooooo? Babe, answer me!_

_Regina! Babe! Honey? Your highness? Regina Mills answer me!_

_Regina Mills, where are you?!_

_If I don't hear from you before 1:15, I'm calling the cops. Oh wait, that's me. Answer my texts! Did something happen to you? Is Alice okay? Regina!_

Regina sighed and tapped around on her phone to Emma's number. The other line picked up before the phone could ring twice.

"Regina! Where are you?!" Emma's voice rang clear through the device. She sounded frantic, almost desperate.

Yanking the phone away from her ear, Regina rolled her eyes. Alice was busy trying on the clothes they had picked out, so she waited outside of the children's dressing room. "Emma, calm down. Alice and I are at Taylor's getting her some clothes. Why in the world did you try to overload my phone?"

Emma's voice shifted from worry to whining, "Because you weren't answering! I was worried! You always answer my texts... I thought something might have happened to you two! What would I do then?"

"Nothing is going to happen. Calm down and I'll see you at home. I'd like to get this shopping done, which I told you we were going to do today if you bothered to pay attention." The irritation was slowly creeping into Regina's tone. Emma could be a bit juvenile at times and it often annoyed her whenever she became a whining child. "So stop worrying and just finish your work and come home."

"Okay..." The response sounded a bit downhearted. Regina kept her smile to herself. Henry and Emma were so similar once in awhile that she was glad to have both of them around. It kept her amused. Scold them just a bit and it was always like you were trying to destroy their reality.

"Emma?"

"Yes?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"I love you."

"Love you too, Regina." Emma's voice had picked up after that and sounded much cheerier on the phone than it had moment ago. The line went silent and clicked off afterwards. Regina sighed in relief as Alice came out of the dressing room with the outfit she had just changed out of.

"Does everything fit, Alice?" Regina asked as she put away her phone. Alice nodded and handed the Burberry dress back to Regina. "Let's go pay for these and head home. Emma's starting to worry about us." Alice followed Regina to the counter where she rang in a hefty $3200 worth of clothes. Of course, Regina had picked out a new pair of Diesel jeans for Henry, a new shearling Burberry jacket for Emma and a particularly well tailored Burberry riding jacket for herself. Taylor was more than happy to help load boxes and bags into the Mercedes for the mayor. The amount of money Regina had spent at Taylor's over the last thirty years was more than enough to entice his eternal servitude to her. As she always did, Regina simply thanked Taylor and left him wringing his hands happily while he stood on the curb, watching her drive away.

Regina and Alice had a small lunch at home before they set to work packing bags and making rice krispy treats for the road. Regina wasn't always keen on giving her child sugar, but once in awhile she felt it was all right. The occasional cookie or cupcake was allowed, but Henry hardly knew what a Snickers bar tasted like. Until Emma came around. Regina had accused Emma of her poor parenting choices on several occasions when Henry came home incredibly hyper. They were lucky that a sugared up Henry only meant that he wouldn't stop talking. Regina tilted her head curiously, wondering what Alice would be like if she were actually hyped up on sugar. She shook her head and made sure to put just the bare minimum amount of sugar in the rice krispies. It wouldn't do to have everyone bouncing off the walls of the car for a three hour drive.

It was almost five when Emma and Henry came home. Regina stood in the doorway between the entry and the sitting room with her arms folded. "What took you two so long?"

Emma hastily yanked off her badge and set it down on the side table with her keys. She pushed Henry forward while she struggled to pull off her boots. He hurried and gave Regina a hug before rushing up the stairs to put his things away and get ready to go. "Henry, get started on your homework so you don't have to take it with you." She yanked one boot off and grinned sheepishly at Regina before attempting the second boot. "Sorry. Leroy, again. Drunk in front of the church and trying to sing to Astrid through a window." She looked up and grinned like a child. "It was Mulan's first encounter with him. Kinda wished you could've seen it."

Regina's hands moved from her arms to her hips and glared down at Emma. "You blow up my phone with text messages all morning, then you fly off the handle because I was occupied for two hours, so Alice and I rush home. Then you take your sweet time coming home?"

"Sorry?" Emma replied, halfway between a statement and a question. She finally yanked off her boot and tossed them into the coat closet nearby. "I told you I still had to stop by my parents's place and get some of my things." She lifted a large duffel bag that was stuffed so full that a giant's hoard could have easily been in it. Emma hobbled over to Regina with the bag slung over her shoulder and put her hands over the older woman's tanned ones, drawing her hips close to her own. "Sorry, baby. I know I should've called."

Emma kissed Regina's jawline, trying her hardest to coax a reaction out of her lover. Regina's face remained stoic, her eyebrows coming down towards her eyes in a rather malicious glare. She'd have stayed that way, glaring at Emma if the blonde woman hadn't begun sucking on the flesh above her pulse. Regina sighed and pushed Emma away. She brought her hand up to Emma's chin and lifted her head, kissing her softly. She rolled her eyes when they parted, but a small smile was forming across her lips. "One of these days, that trick is not going to work on me."

"If it doesn't, then I'll have to try something else." Emma leaned in again, bringing her lips to meet Regina's. She could immediately tell that she had been baking. Regina made a point to taste everything she cooked. The clear evidence of rice krispy treats were on her girlfriend's lips and tongue. Emma hummed happily at the sugar tease and pushed her tongue past Regina's lips to catch more of her sugary treat.

"Let's continue this later, Em. We've got plenty of things to do. Can you help Alice get dressed for the ride? We bought clothes today, but I haven't had an opportunity to put anything away or finish packing her bag. I'm going to make sure Henry does his homework." Regina broke away from Emma and left her in the entryway as she headed up the stairs to Henry's room.

Emma smirked. She knew Regina was playing with her. Hopefully they had time to get back to their activity before Emma's parents showed up. She took the stairs two steps at a time, sliding into the door way of Alice's room.

"Hey, kiddo. Did you and Regina do a lot of damage at the store today?" She grinned as Alice looked up.

"Emma!" Alice jumped to her feet and hurried across the room, throwing her arms around the blonde woman's waist. Emma's jaw dropped, as it often did. She hadn't heard Alice speak since she picked her up in the woods. Emma wrapped her arms around the girl and smiled.

"You look like you had a good day." The sheriff allowed herself to be pulled by the arm to the bed where Alice had a storybook open. She turned to the page she had shown Regina earlier, the Swan Princess painting.

"Emma." Alice said again, pointing to the picture. Emma sat down on the bed and peered at the book. Then she pulled Alice into her lap and smiled.

"That's kinda right," she said as she flipped through the pages. She found a picture of a shining knight on a white horse. "But this is probably a better picture of me." Alice tilted her head curiously, somewhat confused. Emma held the girl close and laughed a little at her reaction. "Remember how I said Regina was a Queen? Well, I love her very much and I promised that I would always protect her. I'm her knight. Knights protect Queens, and Princes. That includes Princesses, too. Like you." Alice's eyes lit up at her new title. "So, what do you say, little Princess? Let's get you dressed and packed up for the weekend."

Alice hopped off of Emma's lap and pulled over the pink and purple My Little Pony suitcase and backpack. Regina clearly wanted to make sure that Alice had matching luggage, even if it was for a child. Emma and Alice worked together at folding and organizing the clothes that Regina had picked out. She lifted up a small red leather jacket and looked at the brand label: Diesel. Emma swore she had one just like it.

"Did Regina get this for you, Alice?" The girl nodded and took the jacket from Emma, putting it on over her dress. Emma could barely contain her grin as even she saw how Alice looked like a little version of herself. She crawled across the floor and stuck her head in the hallway. "Regina!"

Regina poked her head out of Henry's room a moment later with an exasperated look on her face. "What is it, Emma?"

"Look! Mini me!" Emma scooted out of the room on her rear, pulling Alice out with her. Alice was grinning just as goofily as Emma was. Regina rolled her eyes at the two of them, but she couldn't help but smile at how adorable they looked with Emma's arms around Alice. "I'll be helping Henry finish his homework while you two girls play dress up."

Henry came out of the room to see what the noise was about. "Woah, cool jacket! It looks just like Emma's!" If Alice were a puppy, she'd have a tail wagging so fast it'd be a blur from all the smiles and compliments. Henry turned to Regina, "Mom, how come I'm the only boy here and I don't have a leather jacket?"

"Henry, I just got you that Burberry coat that's like mine. You don't like it?" Regina asked, looking slightly hurt.

Emma caught Henry's eye and tried to give him the warning that he was going to get himself in trouble if he didn't watch what he said. Like his birth mother, the boy had a terrible habit of saying things that were better left unsaid. Henry bit his lip before he looked up at his mom, "I like it. It's one of my favorites… and the scarf! It's just…" Henry hesitated for a moment, and then smiled, "I think it'd be cool for all of us to have matching jackets! Ya know, like a family."

A lump formed in Regina's throat as she hugged her son. Henry looked past her as he returned the embrace, flashing a thumbs up to Emma. The blonde smiled and gave him a thumbs up in response.

Regina stood up then and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress. "Well, I think you're just about done with your homework, right Henry?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Finish packing up your bags. I started your suitcase, but I know you like to pick out your favorite stuff. Just try not to take all of your books with you this time." Regina instructed. Henry sighed loudly in annoyance, but she knew he'd listen. She left his room and continued down the hallway to Alice's room where the two blondes were going back to packing Alice's bags. "Are you two almost finished?"

"Just about," Emma answered. She closed the suitcase which was nearly bulging. They had put everything possible in the suitcase: jackets, pants, dresses, shoes, shirts. Emma pressed down on the suitcase with both hands. Alice came up next to her to help, but neither of them had hands to actually close the suitcase. They both looked up at Regina helplessly. She rolled her eyes in response, pretending to be annoyed at how childish her girlfriend was. Regina knelt down next to Emma, weaving her hand around the suitcase to close the zipper. She brushed her hand against Emma's as she reached the end of the zipper's tracks. "Now we're done." Emma said triumphantly. She held up her hand to Alice and received a high five.

Regina stood up and straightened out her skirt. "Alice, you and Henry can go watch some television while we wait for Grandpa David and Grandma Snow to get here." Alice nodded and picked up her white rabbit before going to Henry's room. Emma picked herself up off the floor and turned towards her girlfriend. Regina smiled playfully, "We have some unfinished business, Miss Swan. But not until we take the suitcases downstairs."

"Okay, fine." Emma grumbled as she picked up Alice's suitcase. She carried it out to the hallway and headed to Henry's room. "All done, kid?"

Henry and Alice both turned around at the sound of Emma's voice. "Yeah, I'm done," he answered, indicating the full Superman suitcase on his bed. Emma walked over and picked it up, surprised that it wasn't as heavy as it looked. She noticed a rather full backpack down by her feet and she tilted her head curiously. "It's my everything else backpack. Just some comics, books, and my 3DS and PSP."

"Why do you need both? I'm sure your grandparents have plenty of things they want to do with you and Alice," she pointed out as her eyes stayed on the backpack. She wondered what kind of games Regina would allow Henry to play and felt the urge to play a game herself. Regina wasn't big on video games or television, since she felt that it rotted his brain. Like letting him read a fairytale book ended up being such a good idea.

"Yeah, but... you never know. Besides, Mom only lets me play on the weekends and I'm really close to finishing Kingdom Hearts."

"Okay, okay. But family first. You know your mom will be upset if you spend the entire weekend on a video game." Emma picked up the suitcase and slung the backpack over her shoulder. "All right, your mom said you two can go watch some television in the living room until Grandma and Grandpa get here." Henry gleefully accepted the offer and headed downstairs with Alice in tow.

Regina was in the entryway with her own suitcase and Alice's next to Emma's duffel bag. Emma set down Henry's things and immediately trapped her girlfriend between her body and the wall.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" Regina asked cooly. She smirked in a way that made Emma's skin tingle.

"You said we had unfinished buisness, Miss Mills. I'd like to get that business taken care of before my parents get here," Emma replied, matching Regina's tone.

"That we did." Regina leaned forward and kissed Emma's lips. She slipped her tongue into her lover's mouth, causing Emma to moan softly. Her hands drifted from the wall to Regina's hips, then her arms found their way around the other woman's waist. Regina's hands traveled up Emma's back beneath her shirt, feeling the hot skin beneath.

Emma loved the way Regina felt against her. Every time she touched Regina, it felt like her body was on fire. If anything told her that this was true love, it had to be the way that she felt with the former Queen. Regina, in turn, had slowly been wondering if the love she felt before for Daniel could even be considered true love if Emma made her feel this way. She had adored him, she did love him. After all, Daniel was her best friend. She was happy with him and her heart had soared when he had asked her to marry him. But the feelings she had for Emma were completely different. Regina hadn't experienced a love quite like this one. It consumed her completely until the only thing on her mind was Emma Swan. The blonde princess aggravated her, irritated her, made her laugh, and made her scared. Scared that she would lose this precious piece of happiness that Emma brought her. But for a year, nothing had happened to threaten that. Every day she had grown to love Emma more, for all her childish ways, her stubbornness that Regina swore came from David and Snow put together, and her insipid manner of getting into Regina's head with a simple goofy smile and honest words. This, Regina had decided, was real happiness.

Emma could feel something change in Regina at that moment. She became more desperate in their kiss, as if she were trying to prove to herself that this was real. Emma smiled softly, pulling Regina closer to her. She felt Regina's hands travel along her back and grasp her shoulders. It seemed that it wasn't enough for her as her hands moved again. This time her fingertips glided along Emma's waist and onto her stomach, caressing the soft skin there. She swore that Regina was trying to feel her up. Not that she minded, but just as she thought that her lover's hands would work their way under Emma's bra, they left the confines of her shirt. She suddenly felt Regina's fingers work her way through her hair, pulling her head closer to her and kissing her harder.

They would have continued if not for the clearing of a throat behind Emma. She quickly broke away from Regina and spun around, finding her parents standing at the door.

"Sorry, honey." Snow apologized. She smiled sheepishly as David walked in after her. "We're here."

"We can see that. Don't you two know how to knock?" Regina answered dryly. "Did you pick up the SUV, David?"

Emma's father nodded. He held up the key and showed the flashing chrome Mercedes emblem. He was trying to avoid letting his brain process the compromising situation he had just seen his daughter in. "Did you really order an M-Class for a weekend trip, Regina?" Emma's brow raised her eyebrows upward as she opened her mouth silently to gape at her girlfriend. "I gotta admit, it's a smooth ride."

Without skipping a beat, Regina absentmindedly reached over and tapped Emma's chin, reminding her to close her mouth. "It's a three hour drive. I'll not have my family sitting uncomfortably for that long."

Regina's word seemed to be final. It wasn't long before David and Emma were loading up the bags in the back of the charcoal grey SUV. Alice was comfortably dressed in the new Lucky Brand dark blue jeans, Fendi navy blue polo and small Kate Spade slippers that she and Regina had picked out earlier that day. She climbed into the back of the SUV with Henry, holding onto her white bunny. Henry was still in his corduroy pants and white Armani dress shirt from school. The adults hadn't even piled into the car but his comic book was already open to show Alice Superman's amazing powers.

David gave the back door one final slam shut, ensuring that all their necessary bags were packed into the back of the SUV. Before he could head towards the driver's seat, Regina swept past him, snatching the keys from his hand. "Thank you, dear."

"Um... you're welcome?" he replied. She smirked at just how much Emma had inherited of his personality. He opened the side door and climbed into the center seats next to his wife. Snow was faced to the back where she was watching Henry and Alice flip through the comic book, becoming fascinated with the story as her grandson read the panels to Alice.

Regina, having the need to always be in control, promptly got into the driver's seat. Emma paused before getting in the large vehicle. She swore that she was going to drive. Then she suddenly shut her eyes and groaned as she hopped up into the passenger seat.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"We're not listening to Kenny G the entire way, are we?"

"Why not?"

"Cause after the first hour, it all sounds the same!" Emma slumped in her seat. She wasn't expecting Snow's hand to slip forward and pinch her waist, forcing her to sit up straight. She spun around in her seat and glared at her fair skinned mother. "What was that for?"

Snow's eyes narrowed as she looked at her daughter disapprovingly. "We may be living in Storybrooke, but you are still a Princess. At least sit like one."

As Regina started the Mercedes and backed out of the driveway, she smiled to herself. Although Snow and David were prone to getting on her nerves, she was certainly not regretting this family one bit. She just hoped that Emma and Snow wouldn't bicker the entire three hours. Regina happily plugged in her iPod that she received as a Christmas gift from Emma and scrolled to her Kenny G collection. She stifled a laugh as Emma sighed loudly as "Songbird" came through the speakers.

* * *

**Finally! They're on their way to their mini-vacation. I threw in a lot of brand designer names while Regina was shopping. She's a classy woman, I can't imagine her ****_not_**** wearing designer clothes and ensuring that her family was also dressed well. **

**Next chapter will definitely be their vacation. There's a special side story going on about who's left in charge of Storybrooke while Emma and Regina are away. More to come!**

**As always, please review! I do so love it when you guys do!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Aaaand we're back! I've been pretty busy the last couple of days (changing jobs, getting trashed, getting over the hangover) and this ended up being a really long chapter. Again, thanks for all the reviews. Love the feedback and I love how Alice is really working her way into your hearts, as well as Regina and Emma's. The more I write about it, the more I love this family.**

**Just to share a funny occurence, I was with my Beta last weekend and my iPhone started playing Kenny G in the car stereo. From the backseat she yelled, "What the hell, Regina?! Change the damn music!" We laughed about it. A lot. **

**Anyhow, enjoy this chapter! There's a surprise at the end after the break, as well!**

* * *

_**Heroes on a Canvas**_

Three hours is a long drive for children. In fact, the black M-Class Mercedes rental wasn't even more than half an hour outside of Storybrooke before Henry and Alice had fallen asleep. Regina had driven for an hour and a half before she pulled over to stretch and switch driving duty with Emma. David had tried to step in and take over behind the wheel, but between his daughter and her girlfriend, he wasn't even given the chance.

"No offense, Dad, but your driving sucks." Emma said from the front seat. Regina busied herself with toying with the iPod before she would make a comment Emma or Snow would have been mad at her for.

David look to his wife for support, but Snow simply shrugged. "Just relax and enjoy the ride, honey. It's much more comfortable than a horse." David rolled his eyes and sighed, realizing he wasn't going to win this argument.

"That reminds me," Regina began, "What's this about Mulan getting a horse?"

"Oh yeah," Emma answered, keeping her eyes forward on the road. A grin grew on her face as she recalled the day's activities. "Well, yesterday she asked if she could ride a horse around town instead of driving the patrol car. So just to indulge her a bit, I took her to the stables. I didn't think the stable master would _actually_ let her have a horse! She named it Mushu."

"Why do I get the feeling she'd try to pull over someone... on a horse?" Snow muttered. "Did you honestly leave her in charge for the weekend?"

"Ruby's there, too. Especially since Granny hired Aurora. It helped give Ruby some time to help out at the station." Regina tapped Emma's shoulder and gave her quiet instructions on where to go. Emma turned down a side road, veering off the main road and onto a poorly paved frontage road. She nodded in appreciation as the M-Class glided easily over the potholes and bumps. She reached over and squeezed Regina's hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Regina glanced warily at Emma and squeezed her hand back.

"Nothing. Just that you made a good choice when picking this car. I mean, this road totally sucks. Who even lives out here?"

Before Regina could answer, they turned a corner which took them through a large hill that had been cut away for the shabby road. Just beyond the trees that surrounded the hill was a large open space, almost a secluded valley in a range of hills. Sitting in the near center was the largest colonial property they had ever seen.

Its white exterior was highlighted by showcase lights all around the house, causing it to become a white beacon in the scenery as the sun began to touch the horizon. An apple orchard flourished to the east of the property. The leaves were beginning to change color, peppering the ground with gold, red and faded green. Just from approaching the estate from the road, they could see evidence of many activities; stables, archery ranges, a golf course in the distance behind the estate, there was even something that looked like an obstacle course on the other side of the orchard. The building itself was several stories high, each guest room housing its own balcony. Regina had called it an estate, but it was clearly more along the lines of a resort.

Emma turned into the ridiculously long driveway that separated the estate from the road. It wouldn't do to have outsiders step into the illustrious hidden world of politicians, business folk and small time celebrities. Regina frowned slightly as they got closer. She had no concerns that her family would at least look the part... but David and Snow? Now she wished she had bought them at least one outfit as well. It was too late for that, she'd have to deal their inability to appear as if they had any royalty left in them.

"Regina, this is incredible," Snow murmured, leaning forward in the seat slightly as she peered through the window.

David gently pushed Snow back into her seat, "Relax, we'll be there in just a moment. Why don't you wake up Henry and Alice?" Snow's face lit up, realizing that her grandson and... well, she would consider Alice her granddaughter until Regina or Emma says anything otherwise; she realized that they were still asleep in the back.

Emma pulled the car around the cul-de-sac that rounded a large fountain in front of the white building. Regina sat primly in her seat until a young man in a tailored grey suit opened her door.

"Mayor Mills, we've been expecting you," he said as Regina allowed herself to be guided out of the car by his hand. Emma climbed out from her side, grumbling at the way the boy was being so touchy with her Queen.

The family unloaded themselves out of the car while several bellhops worked to quickly remove the luggage. Henry and Alice watched in fascination as the car was emptied in a matter of moments.

With Regina in the lead, they entered the main building of the estate. The foyer had been turned into a lobby with two grand staircases leading towards the second floor. The estate itself had been turned into a small hotel, complete with a restaurant that sat in an atrium-like room that overlooked the orchard. Other various services were offered within the building, including a swimming pool, an indoor workout room, and several large function rooms. A lavish desk sat between the staircases with a well dressed woman standing at it, her gazed focused on the computer screen hidden behind the desk counter. She looked up as Regina approached, her face melting into a warm smile.

"Mayor Mills, welcome back," the woman said. Regina nodded with her 'professional' smile.

"You've been here before?" Emma whispered as she moved to stand next to her girlfriend.

"Not now, dear," Regina answered, cutting Emma off. Emma sighed and walked back towards her family as Regina did her 'political fancy-schmancy' thing. Not that she didn't appreciate the effort that her girlfriend had put into arranging this weekend. She just didn't like it when Regina had the 'everyone is a peasant' look on her face. Or rather, when it was directed at her.

Alice left Henry's side and tugged on Emma's arm. Emma smiled down at the girl and held her hand. "Are you excited, Alice?"

The girl nodded. Emma lifted the small girl into her arms and held her against her hip. Alice was much smaller than other girls her age and Emma could instantly see why Regina had developed such an attachment to her. She seemed so fragile, so desperate for care that neither Emma nor Regina wanted to deny her a single moment of it.

Snow stood back and watched her daughter's new family. It wasn't really official and it was certainly the most unexpected of turn outs, but Snow was pretty satisfied with the way it worked out so far. At the very least, she was able to see her daughter happy and see someone she once looked up to achieve her happiness… it had just been such a very long, hard and torturous road. She reached for David's hand and smiled, gazing up at her husband and leaning against him. David, however, was still fascinated by the estate and had been taking in every visual treat the surroundings gave him. He felt a little nostalgic. The tone was very regal, much like his home in the Enchanted Forest, but it was also very rustic and had a warm backwoods feel to it. He thought of his mother and sighed softly.

"What's wrong?" Snow asked. She squeezed his hand and looked up at him, her dark eyes exploring his as if she would be able to find the answer.

"Nothing, Snow. Just… remembering things." David stepped away from her and reached for a brochure, just past Emma's shoulder. "Sorry, honey. I just wanna take a look at this." He opened up the brochure, which highlighted some of the activities available on the estate.

Henry came over, trying to peek at the brochure David was look at. "Anything good, Grandpa?"

"Well… I already talked to your moms about this, so how about Grandma Snow and I take you and Alice to the stables and ride around the ranch? It seems that there's a riding trail through the hills." David said. He continued thumbing through the brochure, looking for other activities to do.

"Serious?! Awesome! But wait, isn't Mom coming with us? Didn't she used to ride, too?" Henry asked. He turned to look at Regina, but her back was still turned to him as she waited on the room keys. David put his hand on Henry's shoulder and shook his head slowly. "We should all go together." No one answered his question and Regina seemed to ignore what her son was saying. Henry hung his head dejectedly at the dismissal.

Emma saw Regina's shoulders tense up slightly. Henry didn't mean anything by it, he had heard before that Regina was an incredible rider. He couldn't imagine why she'd stop, especially when the Storybrooke stables took such good care of the horses. Emma set Alice down to slip her arm around Regina's waist, allowing the little girl to join Henry and David as they looked at activities. She seemed particularly interested in the rose garden and hedge maze that was situated on the other side of the orchard. Alice tugged on Snow's sleeve and pointed at the picture with a smile.

"Do you like gardens, Alice?" Snow asked, bending down to face the child. Alice nodded, her eyes fixated on the picture. Snow smiled softly but she wished that Alice would at least look at her the way she did Regina or Emma. She stood up and looked at the picture, then back to Alice. "Well, we'll make sure to do that, too."

Regina regained her composure and suddenly turned to the others with three old fashioned keys in her hands. "Everyone ready?" she asked. She handed the first key to David. It was heavy in his hand, engraved with the number 536 on it. "This one is yours. It's right next to the children's room which is connected to ours."

She handed another key to Henry. He looked up at her in surprise, "I get my own?" A smile sprung forth on his face, already making him forget his disappointment a moment ago.

Emma laughed, "Not quite, kid. You and Alice will share the room, but your mom and I will be right next to you in the other room."

Regina put her hand on Henry's shoulder and gazed into his eyes, establishing that whatever she was going to say was going to be very serious. Henry matched her gaze, already determined to carry out her instructions, if they were reasonable. "You're a real Prince now, Henry and Princes protect others. Your Grandpa David has been teaching you, correct?" Henry nodded. "Good. I'm entrusting this key to you because I want you to protect Alice when your mom and I can't be there."

Henry frowned, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, dear. Emma and I wouldn't leave you. But this is a very big place and if we get separated, I'm counting on you to make sure Alice is safe."

A very hereditary smirk of confidence grew on Henry's face. It was the same confident smirk that Emma, Snow and David all seemed to have when given a challenge. "You got it, Mom." Henry held his hand out to Alice. "Come on, Alice. Mom says we get room 538 all to ourselves!" Alice grinned, taking Henry's hand. He led her up the stairs where they could see the entirety of the lobby from the top.

"Henry, Alice, don't wander too far!" Regina turned to the bellhops who were still guarding their luggage. She walked over to them and handed each one five dollars. "Now, the two blue suitcases are to go into room 536. The green and pink backpacks, the Superman suitcase and My Little Pony suitcase are to be delivered to room 538. The Burberry ones are to be placed in 540." She looked over the suitcases again and saw Emma's overstuffed worn out duffle. "This one as well…room 540." The bellmen nodded and quickly set to work delivering the luggage.

"My bag isn't that bad," Emma sighed, taking Regina's hand in her own as they followed Henry and Alice up the stairs.

"It's a little tired," Snow quipped from behind them. "When we get home, maybe you should think about getting a new one." She smiled when she heard a soft chuckle come from Regina. It pleased Snow whenever the dark haired woman in front of her responded positively to things she said or did, which wasn't often.

Emma looked over her shoulder at her father with a gaze pleading for help. He only smiled and shrugged, knowing that it was in their best interest to pick a different battle and to graciously lose this one. Emma sighed, "Okay, fine. We'll go to Taylor's when we get back." As they reached the top of the stairs, she blinked at a pair of elevators sitting center against the wall. "Why did we go up the stairs when there's elevators?"

"You're the one who headed up here and lest you forget, or simply failed to pay attention as you normally do, you pulled me along with you," Regina smirked. Although it did give the bellhops time to bring their bags up before they got to the rooms. The deputy mayor was not one for being interrupted in her domicile, even if that space were a rented room. She liked order, her order, when at all possible these days. She had long given up her complete control since letting Emma Swan into her heart. For that, control was a small price to pay.

"I kind of like the big stairs," Snow chimed in again. She walked arm in arm with her husband, lifting her chin high in some reminiscent regality that mismatched her skinny jeans and crocheted sweater.

Henry came skidding down the hallway, followed by Alice at a much slower pace. Emma and Regina reached the top of the stairs first. Emma released her partner's hand and grasped the running boy with surprising speed. "Hey! No running, Henry! Jeez..."

Without missing a beat, Regina swept Alice into her arms, stopping the girl's hesitated chase after Henry. "Alice, honey, you know better than to run around like that, even if _Henry_ makes a poor decision to do it." Regina cast a glance towards her son, who was hanging his head apologetically.

"Sorry, Mom," Henry said as he kicked his feet. Emma let him go and smiled. At least the kid was aware when he made a mistake. He had stopped being defiant and stubborn when he realized that Emma wasn't going anywhere and his mother wasn't going to curse him or destroy anyone. Henry had come to accept that he was fortunate to not only have his mother who had raised him and the mother he was born from, but he also had grandparents that were possibly the most amazing grandparents ever. How many kids got to say that their grandparents were Snow White and Prince Charming? Or that he, Henry, had the opportunity to still learn all his princely duties: horseback riding, archery, swordsmanship. Holding onto his childhood notion of Regina being evil was only going to dismantle the family image he saw around him. Henry wasn't about to lose that for himself, for Emma or for Regina. Now it was even more important to hold everything together, because Alice needed them. She needed a family. Henry knew that family was important and it didn't seem fair that Alice didn't have one. She didn't talk a lot...or at all, for that matter, but Henry knew she was good, like him. Emma taught him that everyone can be good. Even his mother, Regina, Mama Cora and Mr. Gold. _Everyone _has the ability to be good, you just couldn't expect it to manifest the same way every time.

Henry hung his head slightly lower, refusing to meet his mother's dark eyes. "Sorry... we got excited and wanted to see how far the hallways go." Alice also looked up at Regina with apologetic eyes.

Casting her gaze over both children, she stood and put her hands on her hips. _Damn these children. I can't even be mad at them._ "Two options. Either you two ride in the elevator to the 5th floor with us, or you can take the stairs. If you beat us to the rooms, I'll allow for one soda at dinner."

Emma's jaw dropped. Not that she couldn't have ordered her own at dinner later, but it excited the children after they had looked so sad after being scolded. Once in awhile, it was still her role to play the careless mother. She grasped Henry's hand and Alice's. "Come on, let's beat your mom!" She turned, meeting Regina's eyes and smiled. "Ready... set... go!"

Regina rolled her eyes as Emma took off with Henry and Alice, trying to ensure that they didn't run to the stairs at the end of the hallways. Snow chuckled from behind as David reached for the button on the elevator.

"No sodas at all, Regina?" David asked with a grin.

"It's bad for their teeth. The carbonation and sugar will further create cavities and I'll have no children of mine needing dentures in fifteen years." She stepped into the elevator carriage, taking note of its archaic design. It was reminiscent of the turn of the century architecture with bronzed bars and mirrored walls. Regina peered into one of the mirrors and reached up to her face. A bit of her eyeliner had smeared while she had bent over to stop Alice. Not that it required a lot of effort, the girl was too timid to actually break any rules.

Once inside the elevator, the three adults fell to silence. Snow had accepted Regina, for the most part. Regina had tolerated Snow, for Emma. There were times when Regina would let her guard down and Snow would open up and they would talk openly to each other, as if Snow were still the eager little girl who was getting a stepmother who was a lot more like a big sister. Regina thought it was disturbing in the beginning, a disgusting reminder of the life she had left behind. But after a time, she had come to welcome her interactions with Snow White, because more than anything, Regina wanted to be a part of this family. Her family. Because it meant her happiness with Emma and Henry.

"She spoke today," Regina said suddenly.

Snow and David's heads snapped up simultaneously, their eyes searching Regina's features. The deputy mayor was smiling to herself, biting her lower lip in excitement.

"So, she _can_ speak?" Snow asked slowly. Regina nodded. Her head remained high, holding her chin forward and her hands in front of her as if she were still perched upon a balcony, overlooking her black kingdom. But her eyes were softer, kinder and shining with the light of something Snow never thought possible for the once Evil Queen. Snow smiled knowing that what caused the change was her own daughter and grandson.

"She doesn't say much, other than our names. But I feel like there's so much more to her. I hope..." Regina paused, "I'm almost hoping that Alice doesn't have a family, so that we can be her family."

David gently rested his hand on Regina's shoulder. She turned, wanting to hiss at his sudden need to touch her, but then immediately withdrew. His brow was wrinkled with concern and a sad smile was displayed across his face. "Whatever you and Emma need, we'll be right here for you, Regina."

Her heart fluttered slightly, grateful for the support of the two people she had considered lower than cockroaches. But that was another life, another time.

The doors chimed as they reached the fifth floor, slowly opening with the rattle of bars and machinery. Henry stood in front of the elevator with his hands on his hips, grinning proudly. Alice and Emma were a mere few steps behind.

"We beat you, Mom!" Henry said gleefully. Emma smirked, watching her son as he nearly danced in front of the elevator. He moved out of the way as they came out of the carriage, but was half skipping and half walking backwards as they headed down the hallway. "Grandpa, I can run up the stairs two whole steps at a time now!"

David grinned. "Pretty soon you won't need the step ladder to get on a horse."

Henry chattered all the way down the hall. It was evident that he was excited about just spending the weekend with his entire family that his energy was bubbling over. He proudly opened the door to the suite he was assigned to with the heavy brass key Regina had given him. His excited gasp echoed as he stepped into the door. Alice hurried to join him, taking in the sight of the large two bed suite that was meant for them to share. She turned and wrapped her arms around the waist of the woman behind her. Regina smiled down at Alice as Emma joined her at the door.

"Woah... nice room." Emma stepped past Regina, walking into the room and exploring it with Henry. She walked to a door on the wall and undid the latches on it. When she pulled it open, she was met the the flat side of another door. "Ohh, this must be the door to our room."

Henry's voice echoed through the room from the bathroom. "The tub's as big as a swimming pool!" His head popped out and he smiled excitedly at Regina, "Mom, it's like your bathroom!"

Regina tilted her head curiously as she pushed Alice forward to urge the girl to explore the room as well. "Try not to do any laps in that bathtub this time, Henry."

Snow was behind her just then and offered a kind smile. "The rooms are amazing, Regina. Thank you for arranging all of this. David and I are going to wash up and get dressed. We'll see you in a bit for dinner, right?" She reached out and touched Regina's elbow, smiling softly before she turned to head back to the room. Regina watched as Snow walked away from her and she rolled her eyes with amusement than irritation.

"Dinner is in the Atrium, Snow. I know it's late, so we'll meet you down there in thirty minutes." Snow turned and nodded, then hastened her steps. Thirty minutes was definitely not enough time for her to get ready, especially considering her dinner companions.

Pleased with herself that she could still make Snow a little scared, Regina turned back to her childish family still wandering around the room. "All right, you three. We have thirty minutes before dinner. I suggest you get washed up and changed."

Alice, Henry and Emma all stopped from their exploration and turned towards Regina. She did well to hide the smile on her face at their reaction and simply folded her arms with a raised eyebrow. Her gaze met Emma's and suddenly the blonde jumped up. "Right, dinner. Your mom promised you guys a soda and I _know_ you're not gonna pass up on that chance! So hurry up, wash your faces, change your clothes and we'll come get you before dinner."

Henry eyed one of the beds, eager to jump on it to test its bounce. Alice, on the other hand, had been trained to obey. She immediately went to her suitcase that Regina had bought for her and pulled it to the other bed. Emma came and helped her put the suitcase on the bed. Alice smiled and hurried to take the clothes out, laying out her favorites on the bed. They'd be put away later, for sure. She knew that it was very important to adults for things to be organized and put them away. Alice had learned, after time in several homes, that words were useless. Amongst adults and other children, her words fell on deaf ears. She had received more lashings for words spoken than errors made. Except here. Except with Regina and Emma. They had done nothing but smile at her, hold her and given her warmth and shelter. Regina was kind to her, Emma was lots of fun and Henry was like a real brother. Alice promised herself to do everything she could to make sure that she'd never have to be torn away from this family.

Taking a hint from Alice, Henry gave up temporarily on his desire to jump on the bed. Especially with his mother watching. Emma would probably have jumped around with him, but Regina was definitely not going to allow them to indulge. He grabbed his suitcase and also lifted it up on to his bed. He took his clothes out and proceeded to load them up into the dressers, then began to help Alice put her things away too. Regina had that sort of effect on him that made him want to keep everything organized and clean.

Emma quietly exited the room with Regina in tow. Their room was not as close as they had expected for it being attached to the children's room. She watched as Regina slipped in the heavy key and unlocked the door. The bellhops had left the lights on for them. The suite was enormous. It was more like an apartment than a suite, with its own entry, a living room where Emma noticed the door that connected their room to the children's, and the small but luxurious kitchenette and dining room. The bedroom was incredibly large, looking more like someone's personal home. The bathroom sported a bathtub/hot tub combo, a small walk-in closet and a spacious counter for all of Regina's makeup and skin care products. Emma snorted as she inspected the rooms, making note to herself that all that open real estate on the bathroom counter wouldn't last long. On the bed in the private bedroom was basket of deliciously ripe apples, chocolates and a canvas bag of roasted almonds. Cinnamon roasted almonds. Emma grinned, she would definitely want to dangle those in front of her parents later. At the foot of the bed sat a stand with an ice bucket that was holding a chilled bottle of sparkling wine and two glasses. A small whistle escaped Emma's lips. She had always stayed in seedy places in her past, catching this or that target, running along the underbelly of society. But since she had settled into Storybrooke with Regina and Henry, she found herself experiencing some of the finer things in life, most of the credit going to her affluent lover.

Regina moved to the living room and unlocked the connecting door. She wouldn't open it quite yet, but should Henry or Alice need them, they could use the door. She looked down at her watch. They had wasted five minutes just getting into the rooms. Regina sighed as she entered the bedroom, finding that Emma had moved the apple basket and was stretched out over the bed carelessly staring at the ceiling. A hungry smile danced across Regina's lips as she climbed onto the bed on to of Emma, straddling the younger woman's hips.

"I thought you said we had thirty minutes before dinner," Emma pointed out quietly. Her eyes closed but her hands were deceiving her, sliding up Regina's thighs and working her fingers underneath the woman's satiny grey blouse. Regina was wearing black skinny jeans. Which Emma found incredibly sexy. Regina never wore jeans, but Emma was glad when she did. It was almost like the idea of Regina in a pair of jeans was the sugary promise of candy and Emma Swan was the eager child.

"Hmm... less than that now. Your parents will be waiting for us," Regina said with a devious smile. She pressed her hips down onto Emma, drawing a soft moan from the woman underneath her. Emma's fingers drifted to the buttons on Regina's blouse, sliding the buttons off one by one. Regina sighed softly as Emma's hands brushed the skin over her ribs.

"They can wait a little bit, can't they?" Emma purred softly as she sat up, wrapping her arms around Regina and pulling the woman against her body. Regina's head rolled back, allowing Emma access to the soft hollow of her neck. A shiver ran through Regina's skin as the sensation of Emma's tongue brushed against her.

"No, they can't. You know how pushy your mother is, she'll come knocking on the door if we're late," Regina chuckled. She put her hands on Emma's shoulders and pushed her back down on the bed. She let her weight hold Emma down and bent her head to nip at Emma's collarbone, drawing her teeth over the skin, leaving red marks. Regina lifted her head and smiled at her work. She lowered her head again, determined to leave one more mark before dinner. She immediately attacked the sensitive spot where Emma's pulse beat loudly in her neck. Regina took the skin between her lips, sucking hard and feeling the blood pass below her touch. Emma bucked her hips, almost knocking Regina off her rhythm. Hands clawed through Regina's hair, unable to help Emma decide if she wanted to hold the woman there or pull her off.

Regina sat up, pressing her hands down on Emma's shoulders. She smiled, quite happy with the near black mark she had left on Emma's neck. "Well, I think it's time we get dressed, don't you?" Sliding off the bed, Regina went to the closet to pull out her favorite navy blue suit with white piping.

Emma laid on the bed, blinking stupidly. The spot on her neck hurt and it burned hot, the sensation of Regina's lips still lingering on it. Sometimes she hated it when Regina felt like just being a tease. Emma's jeans were nearly damp with want and she scowled at the ceiling. She jumped up off the bed and crossed the room in less than three steps. Emma pushed Regina against the dresser, pinning her against the hard wood.

"Emma! What the hell?!" Regina snapped, turning her head slightly. She could faintly hear Emma growl before she felt the woman's fingers fumble with the buttons of her jeans. Although she'd never admit it, Regina enjoyed the few times Emma decided to take control. It was as if the younger woman lost her senses to a more primal, animalistic existence within her and allowed it to overpower Regina in a way she only fantasized about. Not that she's ever openly admit that to Emma. Telling her would only make the blonde want to do more, but then Regina felt she would lose the excitement of her control being ripped from by her lover. For a woman who made the act of being in control of everything, the unexpected loss of it was intoxicating in the right hands.

Emma was greedily acting out her revenge for Regina's little game and for the hot little mark on her neck. She grasped the back of Regina's neck, causing the woman to gasp loudly as she was forcefully pushed harder against the dresser. Regina tried to use the dresser as leverage to fight back, but Emma held her there, finally wrestling the woman's jeans open and pulling them down roughly. Regina swore the zipper scratched her leg, but that was beyond her range of comprehension. She knew she wanted it like this, wanted Emma like this. Regina moaned softly as she felt Emma's breath on her ear, her body pressed against her back. Emma's hand shot down between Regina's legs, eager to caress the wet flesh. Regina whimpered helplessly as Emma ignored any want or need for slow, seductive intimacy. Emma's fingers filled the other woman, consuming her with desire and filling her with a sensation so unfamiliar that Regina felt the weight of it in every limb. The notion of giving herself completely to someone, to Emma, brought Regina's mind to a tumbling darkness that she was wholly scared and unaccustomed to accepting. But each time she let herself go, Emma always brought her back with love that Regina thought she'd never have. Allowing herself this release, her body reacted naturally. She pushed her hips against Emma's, whispering her name between heavy breaths.

Emma bit at her lover's shoulder, sucking hard on the tanned skin and leaving discreet marks. She knew they'd stay hidden, but Emma also knew that the woman in her arms belonged to her completely. A surrender so deep that little lovebites couldn't truly display. Regina's hips swayed desperately, her voice crying out quietly and begging for release. When Emma rubbed the center of Regina's arousal, she felt her lover tighten around her fingers, Regina nearly brought to tears with her submission.

Regina relaxed her body against the dresser as she came down from her high. Emma slowly withdrew her fingers and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist. She caught her girlfriend as she leaned back weakly, breathing heavily.

"Sorry, are you okay?" Emma whispered.

"I'm fine, dear... that was... rather unexpected." Regaining the strength in her legs, Regina righted herself and turned to place a loving kiss on Emma's lips. "But it wasn't unenjoyable."

Emma smiled, quite proud of herself that she was able to unravel the woman in her arms in such a way that no one else could. She dabbed at the moisture lining Regina's eyes and grasped her hands. "Let's get dressed." Emma watched as Regina's fingers reached up and caressed the mark she had made earlier on Emma's neck. "I'll wear a high collar."

"I would say I'm sorry for that, but I'm not," Regina chuckled as she went back to gathering her clothes. Emma tried her hardest to stop the smile that threatened her features, but failed miserably. Watching Regina move about the room, Emma told herself she would never stop being in love with her.

* * *

"What is taking them so long?" Regina sighed irritably. Emma shrugged on knocked on the door to her parents' room. Regina rolled her eyes as a faint reply came through the door. She bent down and moved to straighten Henry's collar.

"Mom, why did we have to get dressed up for dinner?" Henry whined. He scowled at the grey collared shirt he was wearing and the pullover navy blue sweater. It matched Regina's navy blue suit. Emma had changed into a silver blouse with a particularly high collar, dark slacks and a blazer. She indulged Regina's fashion sense and helped Alice pick out a grey blouse and black and grey plaid jumper. The sight of her family in similar clothes appeased Regina enough that perhaps the lateness of Snow and David wouldn't irritate her as much.

"Because we should always look presentable, Henry," Regina answered, standing straight again. "You never know who you're going to run into. What if Clark Kent were to walk right by you and you were in scrubby jeans and an old t-shirt?"

Henry rolled his eyes, "Come on, Mom. I'm eleven. Clark Kent isn't a real person."

Emma laughed slightly, "Are you sure about that, Henry? I said the same thing about Snow White and the Evil Queen when I was your age. Now look where we are. I'd listen to your mom if I were you." Henry was about to protest, but the truth of Emma's words sunk in. He really couldn't be sure of who he'd walk into in his life. It had already been pretty unbelievable already and he was quick to figure out that if he went to school in any place other than Storybrooke, he'd be labeled as the crazy kid. Last time he told people who didn't believe his stories, it made his mom plop him right into therapy sessions with Archie. Not that he didn't like Archie, they were friends. But it was really hard for him to not tell his therapist that he was Jiminy Cricket. It hadn't been more than a year and a half since all of that happened, but Henry almost felt like it was a lifetime ago.

The door of 536 opened slowly. Snow stepped out in a white layered skirt, lavender tank and lavender cardigan, followed by her husband who appeared to be the male model of Emma's clothes. Wearing a slate grey shirt and dark blue jeans and a black blazer, David looked down at his daughter and grinned. "Nice shirt, Em."

"Very funny." Emma replied. Snow tilted her head slightly in confusion. Alice was tugging at Regina's sleeve and pointing at a spot on Emma's neck. Four pairs of eyes followed the line of direction from Alice's hand.

"Alice, honey, it's not nice to point," Regina said gently, although she tried her hardest to hide the deep blush on her face.

"Emma, what happened? It looks like you got bit by something." Henry chimed in with worry.

Emma's hand shot upward to cover the spot on her neck. "Uh... it was probably a snake." She met Regina's sideways glance, scowling slightly, but broke into a small smile.

"Emma... Regina, you didn't... That's rather inappropriate." Snow said quietly. Her hand covered her mouth in shock as if the mark were the act itself.

Regina snorted inwardly, taking Alice's hand and leading her and Henry towards the elevators. "Funny coming from the grandma with the disheveled hair and blood red cheeks."

"Regina!" Emma hissed.

A muscle near Snow's eye twitched. "It's fine, Emma." She hastily brushed her hand through her short hair and made an attempt to toss it, hoping it would fix itself.

David coughed loudly, throwing both of his arms around Emma and Snow. "Wow, I'm really hungry. I could really use a fat, juicy steak right now. How about you, Em?" He dragged them under his arms into the elevator after Regina.

"I like steaks, too, Grandpa!" Henry said excitedly.

"You only get to eat it if you can hunt it down yourself, little Prince." David grinned. He let go of his wife and daughter to reach over and muss Henry's hair. Regina scowled at David and proceeded to primp her son. All that work to make him look impeccable and Prince Charming comes along to mess it up.

The Atrium restaurant was just that: an atrium. The vastness of the surrounding orchard and landscape could be seen clearly through the glass walls and ceiling, even through the encompassing darkness. Yellow hued hanging lights were scattered along the ceiling, giving the room a warm feeling. The scents from the kitchen came in all forms: savory roasted meats that made David and Emma salivate, the scent of caramelized sugar wafted past them as well. Regina smiled at the thought of someone attempting Creme brûlée that proposed to be better than hers. She would be the judge of that.

The restaurant was still relatively busy for it being late in the evening. Despite the estate being somewhat out of the way, a good number of people occupied the room. The family was escorted to a large table which would accommodate them, near the glass wall. Henry excitedly pressed his face against the glass, peering out into the dark orchard.

"Emma! Mom! There's a pond with a waterfall down there!" he exclaimed. Henry stood on his toes to look further into the landscape.

"Henry, come away from there. What if the glass falls out?" Regina warned. She sat down at the table with Alice at her side.

Emma laughed and joined Henry at the wall, peering out as well. "Ohhh... it's in a hedge maze. That should be fun. Wanna race through it tomorrow, Henry?"

"Yes! I bet I can beat you!"

Snow sat down across from Regina, turning slightly to watch her daughter and grandson. "Henry, we have a lot planned for tomorrow. How will you fit it all in?"

The boy shrugged and moved away from the wall to sit down on Regina's other side. "I'll just have to run faster than Emma. What other things are we gonna do, Grandma?"

"Well, there's the stables and the archery range. Alice wanted to go see the garden... and I think your moms would like more private time." Snow explained, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I don't know if I should thank you or just ignore you right now, Mom." Emma sighed as she plopped down in the seat next to Henry. Although she wasn't against the idea of spending some time alone with Regina. With two children in the house, the time they spent together had dwindled down to just before bed. It had been awhile since she took Regina out on a real date and Emma worried that her Queen would fall out of love with her if she didn't keep up her efforts.

Regina decided to let Snow's comments skid over her attention. At times Snow was tolerable, even kind and had the makings of being a good friend. The little sister that Regina had envisioned in their youth. But other times the woman, like the rest of her family, could not keep her foot out of her mouth. It was those moments that Regina felt her old distrust and loathing for Snow White creep into her heart. If it weren't for Emma... well, a lot of things would have happened in the worse way possible if it weren't for Emma Swan.

Regina straightened her back and sat up properly in the chair, prompting Alice and Henry to do the same. Her eyes glazed over Emma who was still slumped in the chair. Snow reached over and pinched Emma's leg, causing her to sit up straight. "What did I say about sitting up straight, Emma?!"

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but stopped as she caught her father's eye. He shook his head slightly, indicating that she shouldn't bother with this fight. She sat up and tugged at her jacket before tilting her head upward in a blatant attempt at being _royal._ She'd never get used to it. It didn't matter to her that she was a Princess or that her entire family, including her lover, were all royalty. None of that was relevant in the entire planet. She just wanted to be who she's always been: plain Emma Swan.

Dinner passed by quietly and they made idle conversation. It was past ten when Henry said he was tired and Alice began to drift off against Regina. She stood up, lifting Alice into her arms and tapping Henry with her foot. "I'll take you two upstairs. Come on, Henry." The boy slid off the chair and mumbled good night to his mother and grandparents.

As soon as Regina was gone, Emma sighed and sipped at her drink. She had passed up wine for the evening for a glass of bourbon. The soda she had thought about was long gone from her brain when they sat down at dinner. Regina never kept bourbon in the house, so Emma felt like she was giving herself a little vacation treat. Snow watched her daughter for a moment and frowned, "Is Regina mad at me?"

Emma looked up at her mother. Her eyebrows moved closer together as she gave the question a careful thought. "I don't think she's really mad. You know how she is, though. Anger is usually the first thing she resorts to. I'll calm her down, it's fine."

"I didn't mean to... I just..." Snow muttered, "I'll apologize to her when she comes back. She is coming back, right?"

"Clearly, Mom. Her wine glass isn't empty. Regina never leaves wine sitting around. She said it's a waste of a good thing." Emma shrugged as she sipped her bourbon again. "So, what did you have planned? Other than the maze and horseback riding? 'Cause that spa is starting to sound like a good idea."

David chuckled, "Emma, you're riding with us."

"I'm what?"

"Look, if there's one thing I wanted to teach you, it was how to ride a horse. I was one of the best riders in the kingdom. I think the only person who could outride me is Regina." David said with a proud grin.

Emma groaned, "Do I have to? I just wanted to get a massage and relax. Besides, Regina won't ride. You know she stays away from the stables back in town and she definitely doesn't approve of Henry learning to ride."

"But she let him," Snow pointed out.

"We can do that kind of thing at home," Emma whined. "We're here on a vacation. Why don't we do stuff that we can't do at home?"

David scowled, "Just indulge me, Em. I never ask you for much, can't you just do this one thing with me?"

The look on her father's face made Emma's heart beat hard in her ribcage. He looked so hurt that she didn't want to ride that she felt guilty. "Okay, just one session. Then I'm going to the spa." David's eyes lit up at her agreement. "My ass will probably need it afterwards."

"There's a painting class in the afternoon. I was thinking of taking Henry and Alice so you and Regina can have some time together." Snow said with a small smile. She did honestly feel bad for judging her daughter and Regina for their sexual deviations.

Emma blinked in shock for a moment, "You'd do that for us?"

Snow sighed, "I know I didn't approve of your relationship with Regina at first. Everyone knows we didn't have the best history. But when I see you two together, I can't imagine a better happy ending for you... or her. I've seen so many different sides of her, Emma, but when she's with you... she really smiles. You bring out the best in her and I think of the girl she was when I first met her."

Silence fell between them as Emma took in the words from her mother. A heartfelt smile graced Emma's face as she reached over and took Snow's hand. "Thank you. I mean that. But really, I don't like the idea of 'happy endings.' Regina said the same thing this morning. I don't think anything is an ending. We're just starting."

David smiled proudly at his daughter. Clearly she got his optimism. Regina returned to the table, taking up her seat beside Emma and her glass of wine. She sighed softly and placed her hand on Emma's knee before drinking the dark red liquid.

"Everything, okay?" Emma asked, watching her girlfriend with a cautionary eye.

"Of course it is, dear. Did I interrupt something?" Regina's gaze fell hard on Snow, who was watching her and fidgeting.

Snow's hands went up quickly in defense, "No, nothing at all. We were just talking about things to do this weekend." She placed her hands in her lap, but shifted her eyes between Regina and the table. An exasperated sigh coming from the other woman shook Snow out of her nervous thoughts. "Regina, I... I want to apologize for the comments I made earlier." Regina set her wine glass down. Her lips curled upwards in a sneer of victory, causing Emma and David to both lean back in their seats to avoid the oncoming fire. Before Regina could assert her authority over Snow yet again, the smaller woman held up her hand. "It was not really my place. Regina, Emma, I didn't mean to embarrass either of you. But please consider the children. Henry looks up to both of you and Alice is so impressionable. What sort of image does that kind of behavior tell them?" Snow sighed. She seemed tired, but her gaze was fixed on the two women across from her. They were the epitome of lost time for Snow and it hurt her. Seeing her daughter all grown up, losing all the opportunities she wanted to raise Emma, to teach her all the things that Snow had learned from Queen Eva, seeing it all thrown into the wind by the very woman who was now holding her daughter's heart. It killed her. The only salvation that Snow could salvage was that she knew that for once in her life, Regina truly did love. That she would drop her guard and love Henry and Emma, and now Alice, so unconditionally that Snow hardly recognized her former adversary at all.

Regina shifted her gaze to Emma's green eyes. At that moment she wished for magic. She wished for telepathy or for some mutant powers she might have seen in one of Henry's comic books. Anything to convey to her lover that Snow was getting on her nerves. Again. But she didn't need any of that. Emma placed her hand on Regina's where it sat on her knee. She squeezed softly, then turned back to her mother who was still lecturing them.

"I do want the best for both of you. I certainly believe that you are right for each other, please don't think that I don't support you. But sometimes I don't agree with the things you do. I mean honestly, Regina, you were Queen. You, more than anyone, should understand propriety! I can't really expect that out of Emma." Snow sighed again, the weight of her lecture becoming taxing on herself. Regina fought every urge to roll her eyes or throw something at the woman.

Snow slumped back in her chair. She was tired. She was tired from having the suddenly overwhelming need to be a mother when she hadn't done it for nearly thirty years. Regina lifted her chin and smiled at Snow. Her well practiced mayoral smile, the same one that sent shivers down the spines of every citizen of Storybrooke. "Of course, dear. You're right, Emma and I will be a bit more conscious of our behavior. Thank you for that."

Snow beamed at Regina's response, happy that she could help the young family. Her daughter's family. In a way, it was just as much her own family, too. Snow loves being a key player and even felt a small swell of pride that she was a more involved grandmother to Henry than Cora was. They hasn't even seen Cora in months. Since the woman discovered cruises and tours, she's been in and out of Storybrooke like the wind. It worked out for the most part. The town could only accept Cora in small doses. Although there wasn't any magic in this world, it didn't necessarily mean there was nothing at all. On a rare occasion, Regina or Emma could tap into the minuscule tendrils of magic for simple tasks. Like turning out the lights. Cora, on the other hand, was a bit more adept at drawing out magic. But since trading her magic for her heart and her daughter, Cora's abilities were limited to the occasional parlor trick or puffs of blue smoke. But even that little bit made the townsfolk wary of her.

The rest of the dinner conversation hovered around the safe topics of weekend activities and comments on the scenery. The restaurant had emptied significantly and after an unfettered yawn escaped David, he and Snow decided it was time for bed. Regina and Emma agreed, seeing as they were both eager to have some time alone. The couples exchanged courteous biddings of restful sleep before retreating to their rooms, heads swimming with alcohol and unreleased emotions.

Emma flopped on the bed face first and sighed, lazily kicking off her boots. Regina stalked around the room, undressing for bed and grumbling to herself. After pulling on her short satin nightgown, she turned and scowled at Emma. "I really try with your mother, Emma, but she makes it very difficult when she goes back to being a pretentious spoiled princess."

"Not arguing with you there," Emma replied, rolling over on the bed. Seeing that Regina was already dressed for bed, she slid off the mattress and padded lazily to the dresser. Emma changed into her pajamas with little effort, moving ever so clumsily as she always did. Where Regina could make putting on a t-shirt a very deliberate and model-esque task, Emma managed to achieve it with the grace of a bear. Regina rolled her eyes as she picked up Emma's boots and put them aside, scolding herself for continuously picking up after her carefree lover. The blonde stuck her head out of the bathroom with her toothbrush shoved into her mouth, white foam lining her lips. "Sorry, I was gonna get that."

"Don't talk with the toothbrush in your mouth, young lady," Regina scolded. She moved next to Emma and went about her nightly ritual of skincare products and brushing her own teeth.

After rinsing her mouth of the toothpaste, Emma stepped back, admiring her girlfriend's body as Regina leaned over the counter to dab makeup remover on her face. "Gina...does it still bother you? I mean, riding and stables. When Henry said something earlier... I..." Emma felt a pang of jealousy pierce her heart. She knew of Regina's past, about Daniel, of all the things that had once fueled Regina's need for vengeance and power. "I didn't know what to say."

Regina finished wiping the eyeliner from her eyelid before she narrowed her gaze at Emma through the mirror. She put her palms on the counter, flattening them as if she were trying to hold the ground still. "There's nothing to say, dear. Don't worry about it."

"You used to love it, didn't you?" Emma said quietly. She met Regina's hard gaze through the mirror. She saw a flicker of sadness before brown eyes shifted to their usual dark, imposing glare.

"It's of little consequence now, Emma," Regina answered abruptly. Then, as if the subject were nothing more than idle chatter, she returned to applying a night cream to her skin.

Emma shrugged her shoulders as she turned to leave the bathroom. She felt Regina's eyes follow her reflection, although it was clear that the woman was trying to be discreet about it. "Someday, I'd like to see it though... your face and your smile when you ride. I'm sure Henry would, too."

A sharp pain made its way through Regina's chest. Emma never really asked for more than the simple things. Hand made lunches. A stolen kiss in public. Regina's honesty. She knew that a piece of her closed off heart belonged to Daniel. Emma hadn't asked for Regina to forget him or to forget the feelings they shared. What she asked for was much more than Regina had ever thought to give. It was simple, yet profound: Emma wanted to see the young girl that Daniel had seen. All she had ever known of Regina was the hardened Mayor, the strict mother, the Evil Queen and the seductive lover. But Emma, for all the love she felt for Regina, wanted to see the bright and shining young girl who rode horses and dreamt of happy days and nights with her true love.

When Regina returned to the bedroom, she found Emma already curled up beneath the white sheets of the bed. Her heart swelled in her chest, the thick existence of emotion manifesting within her throat. She eased herself into the large king bed, inching closer and closer to the sleeping form beside her. Regina rested her hand on Emma's shoulder, feeling the soft skin against her palm. Instinctively, the blonde reacted to the touch and scooted her body backwards until she lay flushed against the other woman. Regina smiled to herself as she wrapped her arm around Emma's waist, taking in the scent of her wood tinted perfume and shampoo. But unlike all the other times, Emma didn't turn around. Regina frowned slightly and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's shoulder.

"Are you upset, Emma?"

The response came as a slight hitch of her shoulders. Regina kissed the same spot, wrapping her arm tighter around Emma's waist. "I'm not upset at you, Regina. I'm just sad for you." She finally turned around and buried her face in her lover's chest, throwing her arm around the satin covered waist. Regina smiled softly and closed her eyes, relaxing against the pillow and enjoying the feel of Emma's weight against hers.

"Don't be. The past is a heavy burden to bear but we all are subject to it. No promises, but I will think about what you said. Regardless of that, I do love you," Regina whispered softly. She lay there quietly in the dark as the sound of Emma's breathing became evident that she had fallen asleep. Regina rolled her eyes and allowed sleep to take over her, the exhaustion from the day already leaving her.

* * *

Emma's ass hurt. More specifically, her thighs and her ass hurt. Unlike her parents and even her son, she was unaccustomed to the hard leather saddle that kept her straddled to the white horse she rode. Henry rode up along side her, smiling brightly. "This is fun, right, Ma?"

She shot Henry an unappreciative glare. "We're going to have to talk about your idea of fun, kid."

He shrugged, still smiling at his blonde mother's discomfort. "You'll get used to it. It's too bad Mom didn't want to come with us. I bet she'd love this."

Emma frowned, "It's kind of a sensitive thing for her, Henry."

"I know. I was just kinda hoping that she would enjoy it again, now that she's in love with you." He rode past Emma, leaving her struggling slowly behind him. Several strides ahead, Snow and David rode side by side on a brown Arabian mare and a brown and white Clydesdale stallion. Emma rolled her eyes. This was not the family activity she had dreamed about as a child. Maybe a car trip or vacation to Disneyland or some camping trip in the woods, but not horseback riding.

Regina and Alice sat on the grass near the track, watching the others. Just being that close to the stables made Regina's heart ache. She had dressed that morning for a ride, just in case she decided to join them. Alice watched with excited eyes as Henry rode back and forth between his grandparents and his mother, chattering wildly about anything and everything.

Emma caught Regina's eye and waved at her. Regina laughed slightly, seeing Emma lose her balance and scramble to keep herself upright on the horse. A part of her wanted to join them, show Emma how to properly ride and maybe show up Snow and David just a little.

Alice tugged on the sleeve of Regina's shirt and looked up at her. She had woken up in a cheerful mood and was eager to spend the day with her new family. Being with Regina, Emma and Henry made Alice feel comfortable. They were gentle with her and even when Regina had scolded her the night before, the woman's voice had been soothing and full of love. Not the harsh tones and cruel words that she was so used to hearing from adults. They were a different family. Alice bravely opened her mouth and quietly addressed Regina, "Can we go too?"

The soft sound of Alice's voice made Regina's heart jump. She gazed down at the little girl with big, bright blue eyes. There was a shine to them that Regina hadn't seen before. Her own voice caught in her throat as she considered Alice's request. It was clear to Regina that she wanted to be a part of the family, participating in the things that they were doing. Despite her hesitations against riding, she knew she couldn't reject Alice's request for her own inabilities to move past the pain.

"Well, I suppose a quick ride can't hurt. Do you want to ride by yourself, Alice?" Regina asked, tucking her legs underneath herself.

Alice shook her head, "With you."

The feeling in Regina's chest swelled to fill every space in her ribcage. She smiled, hiding her sadness for the sake of the child next to her. Her eyes went up to the four people riding around on the horses. Henry was approaching them on his brown Arabian mare. Regina stood up and offered her hand to Alice, who quickly got up and joined Regina.

"Hey Mom, Emma and I are gonna race Grandpa and Grandma! You guys should come watch!" he said excitedly.

Regina looked down at Alice and smiled, then turned to her son, "I think we will. Let's see what your Grandpa David has taught you."

Henry beamed happily before turning his horse around to join the others again. When he caught up to them, Emma was leaning forward, trying her best to maintain her balance. Snow rode alongside Emma, lecturing her on proper posture and how to handle a horse. The blonde woman groaned, already feeling the strain in her legs.

"Ready to race?" David asked Henry. "It looks like there's some starting lines. We'll line up by the stables and go two rounds around the track. But stay off the obstacle track. It's not fair for Emma."

A grumble escaped Emma's lips as she agreed, not quite happy with the situation. But this was for the sake of her parents, who had continuously let her know that this was one of the things they'd always wanted to do together.

They drew up near the stables to a white painted line on the ground. There were a few ranch hands standing around watching them, eager to see the blonde fall off. They'd seen plenty of new riders struggle and it was always a good show when they were bucked off or slipped off their saddle. But Emma was determined to hold her own, as much as she regretted agreeing to go with Snow and David this morning.

Henry's horse kicked at the ground as they lined up next to each other. His grandparents waited to his left and right, Emma at the very end so she wouldn't be caught in their speed if she couldn't catch up. He turned in his seat, looking around for Regina and Alice.

"Hey... where did Mom go? She said she was going to watch."

Emma shrugged, "I told you it was a difficult thing for her, kid. Maybe she went back to the estate with Alice." Henry frowned. He had gotten his hopes up that Regina would stop lying to him. Anger swelled in his chest and he gripped the reigns hard. Maybe a fast ride would make him feel a bit better at her betrayal. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"All right! Twice around the track. First one finished gets to pick our next activity!" David called out to them. Snow grinned, seeing the excitement in his eyes. She felt it as well, the joy of riding alongside her husband returning to her. "Ready... set... go!"

Four horses took off down the track at moderate speed. David and Snow were quickly regaining their sense of control over the animals as they had done in the past. Henry was fast to learn and stayed just behind Snow's mare. Emma, on the other hand, struggled a bit but was at least able to keep pace with Henry. She gripped the reigns hard, squeezing her thighs against the animal to keep herself upright.

David laughed happily as he flashed a look of challenge to his wife. A tiny smirk played across Snow's face as she accepted the challenge. She snapped the reigns, causing her horse to pick up speed. She pulled ahead of David's Clydesdale, turning slightly to see him urge his horse forward. Henry and Emma stayed neck and neck, but the young boy didn't want to lose to his grandparents. He was much younger and his horse was a lot smaller. Riding past them should be easy. He leaned forward, kicking his heels into the horse's flank.

Henry was sure that he was going to pull ahead of Snow as his Arabian mare rode alongside hers. They looked at each other and smiled, each of them actually enjoying the rush of air in their faces. A dark flash shot out between them, pushing the air against them and causing both Snow and Henry to sit up straight. A black horse had broken past them, kicking up dirt and leaving them in the dust. A small blonde head poked out from in front of the rider. Alice smiled victoriously as she and Regina had literally left the others behind to eat dust.

"What the... is that Regina?!" Emma shouted over the rush of air.

"That's cheating, Mom!" Henry called out after her. The anger he had fostered earlier was gone. She had lied, but he realized it wasn't to betray him, it was to surprise him; and he was definitely surprised.

David and Snow exchanged a glance, then smiled. Simultaneously, they kicked at their horses. Emma kicked at her horse as well, doing her best to keep up.

Regina slowed the black stallion down, allowing for the others to catch up to her. She had forgotten how good riding felt. Everything about it, from the smell of the stables and the dirt on the track, to the wind in her face and through her hair, was nostalgic. Despite the cold air, she felt warm and content. Once they had caught up with her, she turned in her seat slightly to call out to them, "I've done you the courtesy of allowing you to catch up to us once. Let's see if you can do it again!"

The black stallion rushed forward quickly, but Emma didn't miss the look on Regina's face. It was a smile she had never seen before. Regina's eyes were shining, focused on the track ahead of her. Emma wasn't sure if she was feeling jealous or elated that the smile her lover was wearing was one that she didn't cause. It was natural, free and warm.

Snow matched her speed to Emma's as they rounded the track the first time. "You won't be able to catch her, Em. Regina's a better rider than your father and I. She had been training for years."

"I guess it's like riding a bike, huh? You never really forget?" Emma answered, still clutching the reigns as if it would save her from falling.

Alice looked up at Regina. She sat in front of the woman, nestled in front of her safely. She felt happy. Regina looked so naturally happy that Alice felt excited to be near her. But behind those brown eyes, a small flicker of sadness passed over. Riding felt good, but Regina couldn't help but think about Daniel. About the lost promises, gentle kisses of love and devotion, the life she wanted that she never could have. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had slowed down enough for Emma to catch up with her.

"Emma!" Alice said happily as the blonde rode next to them. "We're winning!"

Regina couldn't decide if the look on Emma's face was a reaction to her riding or Alice speaking more than one word. Their eyes met and Regina realized that she wanted this. She wanted Emma to see her like this. Happy, content and in love. The stronghold around her heart shattered as she smiled warmly at her lover who was still struggling to stay on the horse and keep up. "Eyes forward, dear. You'll fall if you don't pay attention."

"Easy for you to say, Miss... expert rider..." Emma grumbled, pressing her body close to the horse.

"Equestrian." Regina corrected. She saw Emma roll her eyes before kicking at her horse and speeding away from the dumbstruck woman.

By the time the rest of the family had made it around the track a second time, Regina was casually helping Alice down from the horse. She turned as they approached with a devious smile painted on her red lips.

"We definitely weren't expecting that, Regina," David said breathily. He slid off his horse to join Regina who was busy with the clasps on her horse's saddle.

Henry, Emma and Snow followed soon after. Alice hopped in place gleefully as she ran to Emma, throwing her arms around the woman's waist once she was on the ground. Emma winced slightly from the pain in her body. Alice grinned, not noticing Emma's pained look. "We won, Emma!" she said happily. Despite the soreness in her body, her heart relished in Alice's willingness to open up to her. It wasn't a secret that Alice had attached to Regina quickly, but Emma couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. She was the one who understood the loneliness of being an orphan. The overwhelming need for a family that truly wanted her. She had hoped to be the one to bridge the gap between the little girl in front of her now and the one she found in the woods. But Regina was remarkably quick to take Alice under her wing and care for her. Children had a way of working into Regina's heart.

"You sure did, kiddo. Grandpa David said the prize is that you and Regina get to decide what we're all doing next." Emma glanced up at her girlfriend, "Which, for my sake, I hope is a trip to the spa."

Regina chuckled, "If you ride more, you'll get used to it. To be fair, I figure it would be a good time for us to do something separately."

"Oh thank god," Emma sighed, "I'm signing up for the spa. Are you coming with me, Gina?"

Regina gave the option a careful thought, "I would love to, but what about the children?"

Henry's face lit up excitedly as he turned to David, "Grandpa, can we go to the archery range?"

David shrugged, "If it's okay with your moms. Snow, do you want to go with us? Alice, too?" He looked expectantly at Alice, hoping she would respond to him the way she did to Regina and Emma.

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe Alice and I can go to the art room. Will you come with me, Alice?" Snow asked softly. Alice looked up at her thoughtfully, considering the option of being away from Regina or Emma.

Regina frowned, "I'd prefer that she and Henry stay together, Snow."

"It'll be fine, Regina," David spoke up reassuringly. "We promise, nothing will happen to them."

Emma smiled as she watched Regina's face turn to a scowl as she thought about the offer. Regina clearly wanted some time alone with Emma, but the idea of her children going off with the two people she still called 'the two idiots' in her head was a disturbing thought. She looked to Emma for backup, but the blonde woman simply smiled, "What? I'm just looking forward to a massage... and maybe a nap."

Regina rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid. She knew Emma wasn't really looking for a nap as much as she was looking for an excuse to roll around in bed. She sighed defeatedly after seeing the pleading looks in Snow, David and Henry's eyes. "Ugh... In-laws..." she grumbled, "All right, fine. David, please be careful with Henry. I don't want to find out my son is missing an eye. Storybrooke already has one rotten pirate. We don't need Henry joining his ranks." Alice moved over towards Regina and tugged on her sleeve. Regina bent down and smiled softly, "What is it, Alice?"

"Don't leave me," the girl said softly. She looked down at the ground, avoiding Regina's gaze.

"Oh, honey..." Regina pulled the girl into her arms and held her. "I'm not leaving you. Grandma Snow is just going to take you someplace fun, okay? Emma and I won't be far, I promise." Alice nodded slowly. "That's a good girl. Snow wants to take you to the art room. Will you paint something nice for me?" The request seemed to make Alice brighten slightly as she nodded vigorously. She then happily left Regina's side and grasped Snow's hand, excitedly pulling her back towards to the estate.

David and Snow headed in different directions with the children, leaving Emma and Regina alone at the stables. They stood there together for a moment, watching Emma's parents leave with their children.

Regina wrapped her arms around herself and sighed softly. Curious, Emma raised an eyebrow and put her arm around her girlfriend. "What's wrong?"

The other woman shook her head, dark waves of hair falling around her face. "Emma, I don't want Alice to have another family except this one. I've become far too attached to her."

"I know," Emma replied softly. "But we have to do this right, Regina. When we get back to town, I'll still do my follow up work. Once she's back in the system, if she even exists within the system, we can apply to be her foster parents."

Regina turned to face Emma, looking straight into her green eyes, "She said 'don't leave me,' Emma... maybe this was a bad idea. I'm going to go after Snow and bring Alice with us." She pulled away from Emma, only to be held back by the blonde woman who held her wrist. "What are you doing?"

"Regina, you really have to relax. My mother is a schoolteacher. If anyone can handle children, she can."

"But Alice is different," Regina insisted.

"I think she just needed to be comfortable. She's already opening up to you and me. Maybe even Henry. Don't you think it's fair for my parents to get to know her too? We're a family, right?"

Regina hesitated. Her old prejudices against Snow and David lay buried beneath tentative layers of familial acceptance. She dropped her shoulders defeatedly, "I'm doing this for you, too, you know."

A small smile crept up to Emma's face as she kissed Regina softly. "I know. Thank you. Now... can we _please_ go to the spa? My ass is killing me."

Regina laughed lightly, "For a princess, you whine too much." Emma only groaned in response as Regina took her by the hand, leading her back to the estate.

* * *

Snow sat quietly in front of a blank canvas with a palette of paints beside her. Alice sat nearby, purposefully brushing her smaller canvas with green paint. Snow was contemplating on digging through her memories of the Enchanted Forest and manifesting it on the canvas.

The room was quite empty, except for one or two other guests who had decided to use the art room as a quiet reading spot. They had given Snow and Alice the once over as they entered, concerned that Alice would disrupt their peace and quiet with the sounds of youth. A young woman with curly brown hair had offered them seats, getting Snow and Alice situated with canvases, paints, sketch pencils and stools.

Alice was intently focused on her canvas as she spread more green paint across the taut fabric. Snow was a bit envious. She was never really the artistic type. When she was small, her mother had initiated some lessons in art, but they were quickly cast aside for horseback riding lessons, archery, swordplay and the occasional singing lesson. Snow sighed wistfully, wishing she had listened to her mother more and actually paid attention to the art lessons. The best she knew she could whittle out would be nothing more than a landscape in her memory.

Snow leaned to the side and peered past her canvas to the little blonde girl who was narrowing her eyes at the painting. She smiled softly, enjoying seeing Alice actually showing interest. She knew that the girl was hesitant in speaking to people, but it appeared to her that she was slowly letting her natural self come forward with Regina and Emma. She hoped that maybe Alice was comfortable enough to speak to her.

Sliding off her stool, Snow moved behind Alice to see what she was doing. Her heart fluttered the moment she saw the image on canvas. The feeling in her heart wasn't admiration or love, it was fear. The background of the painting was dark, foreboding, and felt dangerous. Alice was painting figures, one that Snow was able to determine right away. It was clearly a small painting of Emma, judging by the figure in a red jacket and blonde hair. The difference was that Emma's jacket looked more like armor. Alice certainly had a talent for art. The lines were clean, precise and deliberate. It was lacking the details of experience, but the child was on another level compared to others her age. She understood lighting and textures in a way that made it appear that Emma's jacket was shiny metal, as was the sword in her hand. There was detail beyond what any other 9-year-old had produced in any of the classes in Storybrooke Elementary. Behind Emma was the image of Regina, holding a head by its hair. Snow shuddered, the fear that started in her heart had crept its way through her body. It was Cora. There was no mistaking it, as it was a face that Snow knew very well. The vacant dark eyes, the long red hair and the wide thin red lips. The detached body was that of the Queen of Hearts and Regina, dressed in one of the dark purple gowns she wore as the Queen, was the clear victor of the battle. Emma, was standing victoriously over the body of a giant green beast with sharp teeth and deadly looking claws, her family sword driven into the head. Snow swallowed hard and crouched down beside Alice.

"What is that you're painting, Alice? It's very good," Snow said warily. She feared the answer with all her heart, fretful of what she would have to tell Regina and Emma.

"Heroes," Alice answered plainly. She continued dabbing green paint on the beast's body, as if Snow had just asked her how the weather was.

"I see, what's the green monster you're working on?"

"Jabberwocky."

"And this person?" Snow asked, pointing at the figure of the Evil Queen. Well, Regina was clearly dressed as the Evil Queen. But her expression was much kinder and softer than Snow had ever remembered.

"Regina."

With a shaky hand, Snow pointed to the body of the Cora. "Who did she defeat?"

"Queen of Hearts."

* * *

**Oh god, that made my heart race. How about yours? But is she really ****_the_**** Alice or is it just a manifestation in her own head that she's projecting? There's so much still to uncover about Alice! Also, could you tell that I'm still a little pissed off with Snow White for her actions in "The Miller's Daughter" and "Welcome to Storybrooke?" Yeah, that might stick for awhile. She's not on my good list right now. **

**And now, for the surprise I promised! While the Swan-Mills and Charming families are off at this private resort, who's left to take care of the town? Ruby and Mulan. My Beta, Apple Lani, has written a fanfiction of this ****fanfiction, sharing with us the adventures of the two Storybrooke Deputies. Read it here: /s/9118850/1/I-ll-Make-a-Deputy-Out-of-You (seriously, this is a CRACK FIC. I was dying when I read it. I hope you guys like it too! Don't forget to add the site address before the link. It won't let me post it as a link for an easy click. Sorry!)**

**And as always, keep the reviews coming! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! Sorry for the long wait. this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I had expected. Hopefully chapter 8 won't be as long and I can finish it quicker. Also, thanks again for the reviews! I love hearing your feedback!**

**Oops. I had to adjust some of the formatting... when I posted this earlier, I did it from my iPhone so it didn't format correctly. Now it's better. Easier to read. =)**

* * *

**What Lies Beneath Her Smile**

Regina fell back with her eyes shut against the pillow, trying to catch her breath. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she pushed her fingers through her hair. She shivered as the cool air in the room dissipated the fine layer of sweat that had formed during her lovemaking with Emma. Regina opened her eyes as she placed a hand against her breast in an attempt to slow the beating of her heart. Emma crawled up across the bed from her spot between Regina's legs and laid down, placing her head on her lover's stomach. Regina smiled softly and brushed her other hand over Emma's blonde hair, pressing down on the soft curls.

Emma chuckled against Regina's skin, sliding her hands along the woman's waist. "Your body is still shivering."

"Don't consider for a minute it's because of you, Miss Swan. It's cold in here." Regina teased. Emma looked up at her and smiled. "What?"

"Sometimes it's kinda hot when you still call me 'Miss Swan.' It gets my blood going and..." Emma was interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone somewhere in the room. "Hang on a second." She jumped up off the bed, scrambling to her jeans where she had left her phone in the back pocket.

Regina rolled her eyes and scooted around on the bed until she was comfortably beneath the sheets, draping the white fabric over her waist as she leaned against the pillows and headboard.

"Uh huh... okay. Well, it doesn't sound like much, Mulan, but at least we're getting some kind of response from the emails I sent. I guess just keep me posted. I'll follow up when we get home. Forward it to me and I'll take a look at it. Write it down: ." Emma said, but her voice was clearly displaying disappointment. "You did what? Mulan, you don't have to pull people over for not buckling in a dog." Garbled noise came out of the phone, causing Emma to wince. "Okay, okay. I get it. Fine. I guess in that damn town, you can't really be sure... although I'm pretty sure Pongo has and always will be a dog. All right, well you and Ruby go have fun. Try not to pull over anymore people... on Mushu. See you Monday, Mulan."

Emma hung up the phone and left it on the top of the dresser. She moved quickly across the room and crawled into the bed with Regina, snuggling against her and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Did something happen?" Regina asked.

Emma nuzzled her face into Regina's neck and mumbled, "It's just Mulan. I guess we got an email at the station from Harvard University. It's about Alice."

Regina sat up, letting Emma fall into the pillows. She folded her arms and scowled, covering her breasts so Emma would remain focused. "You're going to tell me right now what that email was about."

"It wasn't anything, really. Mulan said it was just about how their foster child outreach program caught wind of my searching and they're following up. Nothing solid yet." She stretched her arms out to Regina, inviting the woman back.

Settling into Emma and allowing herself to be wrapped around by her arms, Regina sighed, "I'm really hoping that nothing comes out of that. What if she really does have a real family? Why do you think she was out in the woods?"

Emma shrugged, "Could be anything. I was guilty of running away from foster families several times. Every time I got caught, I got thrown back into the system. Sometimes back to the family I ran away from or just to another orphanage until I could be dropped off to another family."

"How many families did you go through?" Regina asked softly, treading carefully on sensitive waters.

"Six. My name changed every time, but I insisted on keeping 'Swan' as part of my name until I turned eighteen. I kinda used it as my middle name when I was in a family. I was 'Emma Swan Walker' in New Jersey, 'Emma Swan Stevens' in Kentucky. At one point I was in California as 'Emma Swan Hsu' and then in Santa Fe as 'Emma Swan Rodriguez.' I've been all over the place and none of it felt like home." Emma let out a ragged sigh, as if a troubled sob were trying to escape her chest. There were good memories, but they were very few and far between. One or two of the families were abusive, especially as she got older. They didn't want to deal with an orphan with a troubled and broken past. She was nothing more than the piddly $500 subsidy the families got paid for taking her in. Emma never asked to be an unwanted expense or a burden. All she wanted was for someone to show her real love and care, the kind of love that she got now from Snow, David and Regina.

"Emma Swan Hsu? Really?" A curious eyebrow crept upwards on Regina's brow as she pressed her body closer to Emma's.

"They were all right. Chinese couple in San Diego. They took me to Disneyland once. I might have been... probably Henry's age. But then they ended up having to move to Hong Kong for work and I couldn't go with them," Emma said a bit sadly, placing a kiss on Regina's forehead.

Regina's face scrunched up slightly in thought, "What is Disneyland?"

Emma blinked a few times realizing the hilarity of the existence of Disneyland. She thought her answer out carefully. "Well... it's a theme park. There's rides and shows and places to eat. It's a big resort in California. There's one in Florida, too. But..." she stopped, stifling a laugh. The glare coming from her girlfriend was burning a hole into Emma's neck, "What's so funny?"

Emma burst into laughter, no longer able to contain herself. She caught her breath for a moment to continue her explanation, "Well..." she chuckled again, "So imagine that there's a cartoon version of you, my mom, my dad, your mother, Sydney, August and okay, pretty much everyone in Storybrooke except me and Henry. Cartoon versions of yourselves featured in movies and television and kind of... existing in a theme park. Henry's book isn't the only one of fairy tales."

"I know that," Regina retorted, "I'm quite aware of the films. Henry used to enjoy watching some of them when he was smaller."

"Okay, but there's a whole theme park dedicated to those movies. The Hsu's took me around Halloween. It's funny now when I think about it. See, there was a woman dressed up as the Evil Queen. I was a little scared of her back then, but she was... I guess I thought she was pretty in a way." Emma grinned.

"Oh really?" Regina scowled again, feeling a weird sense of jealousy for a woman in a costume.

"Hey, I was a kid. I thought she was the real thing. I didn't think... I mean, how could I have known that the _real_ Evil Queen was so damn gorgeous and hardly 'evil' at all? Or that she'd end up actually taking my heart?"

Regina sat up and scooted away from Emma, flopping down on the bed with an overdramatic flourish of the sheets. "That was rude, Miss Swan. I don't do that anymore...and I'm not evil."

Holding back another laugh, Emma slid across the bed and held herself over Regina, straddling the irritated woman beneath her. She planted her hands on either side of Regina's head, smiling down at her. "No, you aren't. Maybe you're a little mean, but you've got too much love to give for you to be evil. But you did take my heart... and I don't want you to give it back." She leaned down and kissed Regina's lips softly before leaning on one elbow to nip at her earlobe. "I never said you took it forcefully. I gave it to you and I want you to keep it. My heart belongs to you, Regina. Willingly."

Try as she might, Regina couldn't resist Emma's sweet words. Her heart beat loudly, echoing in her ears as she bit her lip and then gave Emma quick kiss, "That's cheating, you know. Trying those sappy lines and love coated promises on me."

Emma's phone buzzed on the dresser again and she rolled her eyes. She ignored it purposefully so she could focus on biting at Regina's ear again. The phone became insistent, the buzzing constant. Regina tried her best to ignore it as well, letting her hands wander up Emma's back and into her hair. After her own phone buzzed on its perch on the bedside table, she withdrew her hands and growled, "What the hell? I thought we had the afternoon to ourselves." She reached for the phone as Emma rolled off of her, sighing loudly. "Don't pout, dear."

"I'm like a waterfall over here and you're telling me not to pout? I'd like to know what's going on between your legs that you can just waltz away from this." Emma whined. She watched Regina's face as she read the text messages that were being sent to the device. Her expression moved from slight annoyance to blown out worry. "What is it?"

"It's your mother. She said we need to talk about Alice... something about a painting?" Regina shrugged as she got up from the bed, "I'm a bit worried, but I think your mother exaggerates sometimes."

"Tell me about it," Emma sighed. "Like the time she thought there was a dead body by the docks and she insisted that my dad go out there and rescue it? Then it was only some discarded clothes stuck on a bunch of sticks?"

"Discarded clothes from Hook's ship," Regina reminded her, "That loathsome pirate had some kind of party and _someone_ lost clothing." She moved about the room, picking up their clothes and hanging them up, trying her best prevent any more wrinkles from forming.

Emma smirked as she went to get a clean pair of panties from her side of the dresser. It was a good thing she knew to over pack the essentials. "Yeah, I think it was Belle's. Don't you remember? We were at that party. Your mother discovered _good_ wine. Not that swill that was all over the Enchanted Forest."

"Emma, you were there once," came the sharp retort. "Not everything there was so horrible."

The blonde shrugged as she pulled on her jeans, "The wine was horrible enough for me to remember. The beer wasn't any better. I was kinda hoping for something that I read about as a kid. Mead and loud brazen huntsmen and sultry serving girls."

"Were you planning on doing anything with said huntsmen and serving girls?" Regina glared at her as she buttoned up a deep purple blouse.

"Gross, no!" Emma replied, yanking on a grey t-shirt. "Trying to take a bath out there was like trying to ask for magic over here. It's just not going to happen. I can't even begin to imagine the layers of dirt built up on those people."

Regina primped herself in the mirror, making sure that her hair and makeup were impeccable as always. Sex with Emma didn't mean she needed to look like a hot mess. That was just how her insides felt when they were done. She snuck a glimpse of the blonde in the mirror as Emma hopped around the room pulling on her boots. A small smile made its way from her heart to her lips, stifling a giggle as Emma clumsily achieved the difficult task of getting dressed. Regina wondered how she ever fell for Emma in the first place. She wasn't particularly gorgeous, but she was pretty, and Regina was known for bedding handsome men and the occasional beautiful woman. But Emma... Regina rolled her eyes at the thought. Emma was unrefined, careless, childish, whiney, annoying and not to mention that she was the offspring of Regina's greatest enemies. But as her eyes fell on the strong shoulders of the clumsy blonde woman, the sway of her long curly blonde hair, and the curve of her hips, she was reminded that Emma was so much more than her faults. She was honest, caring, the mother of their son, and the one person who truly showed Regina what it meant to be in love and what it meant to be loved.

Emma was checking the messages on her phone when Regina finally pulled away from the mirror. "Hell, she sent me six texts. Sounds like Alice is an artistic prodigy or something. Listen: _Need 2 tal about Alice. painting is pro quality. Something wrong. Cora involved. Meet in resort bar. David taking Henry n Alice out for a walk._"

"Your mother isn't very bright sometimes. All this modern technology and she didn't think to take a picture of what she's talking about and send it to us?" Regina smirked. "But what's that part about my mother?"

Emma shrugged, "Don't know. But I'm getting the sinking feeling that Alice is really _the_ Alice from the story."

Regina pulled on a black blazer over her purple blouse and black skirt, then slipped into her Nine West heels. "Whatever it is, we better go meet her. She's probably halfway to tears by now."

With a slight snicker, Emma grasped Regina's hand and led her out of the bedroom. "Try not to tease her about it. My mother is a sensitive woman."

"Don't I know it." Regina replied. She rolled her eyes as she followed Emma out of their room, a slight nagging feeling of dread creeping up her spine.

* * *

Snow sat at a table in the resort's bar, nursing a glass of white wine. Her hands felt cold despite the room being quite warm. She wrung them together, her face reflecting the concern that was drowning her heart and mind. _Why did she paint that? I can't... Why does she know Cora? Or how? Is that even possible? I know magic is inexplainable sometimes, but this is just crazy. _She glanced at the painting next to her. Alice had agreed to leave it with Snow when she left with David and Henry, but begged her to not show it to Regina and Emma yet. She wanted to surprise them with her work. After all, Regina had asked Alice to paint her something nice and to a little girl, painting her heroes defeating her enemies was possibly the best thing she could do.

At first Snow was shocked at the content of the piece. The quality of it was astounding, as if Alice were able to convey all her thoughts and feelings onto the canvas in professionally engineered strokes of the paintbrush. Subtle details that most 9-year-old children would miss certainly did not go unnoticed by the little girl. She wondered if Alice had been in a good family at one point that taught her art. Snow's mind drifted to her daughter. What was Emma's childhood like? Did she have a good family sometimes? It was no secret that Emma wasn't happy with her childhood, but weren't there some good memories? A sharp pang of regret danced around Snow's heart, waltzing against it and reminding her that she had lost so much time with her daughter.

Things had moved so fast after Regina and Emma broke the curse that Snow hadn't really found the time to sit down with Emma and really talk to her. She wanted to. God, she wanted to find out everything she could about Emma. But her daughter was so closed off that it was almost like trying to talk to Regina at times. She never noticed it before but Regina and Emma were so similar that it was a bit frightening. She had resisted their relationship at first, but over time she knew that rejecting their love would only push her already estranged daughter further away and that was the last thing Snow wanted. But getting Emma to actually sit down and want to talk about a past she was trying to run away from was near impossible. Regina clearly had some sort of magic left if she had been able to get Emma to stay in one place for a conversation, let alone build a relationship. Snow chuckled to herself, _Well... their relationship was almost literally forged in the heat of battle. It just wasn't a traditional sort of fight._ She shook her head, remembering just how much trouble Emma had stirred up when she first came to Storybrooke. That blonde haired thunderstorm was most obviously hers and David's daughter.

Snow lifted her glass to her lips, catching a glimpse of Emma and Regina approaching the bar. From her seat she could see them crossing the lobby. Glancing down at the portrait next to her on the empty seat, she felt her heart race. _I can't show them this... I promised Alice. She trusted me and... no, this is important. If they want to take her in, they have to know. Especially if Cora is a part of this._ Snow quickly stood up from her seat and snatched the portrait, hiding it underneath the window's curtain behind her. She'd return it to Alice later, but she didn't want Regina or Emma reacting to it before she had a chance to explain. Both of them had a habit of jumping to the worse conclusion possible.

Emma veered off from their path to Snow's table to go get drinks at the bar. Regina somehow found a way to hop up on the tall barstool while still looking unbelievably regal. She narrowed her eyes at Snow, glancing at the half finished glass of wine in front of her. "So, what is it that you want to talk about? Where is Alice? Emma and I left her with you."

Snow laced her fingers together and placed her hands on the table. She felt nervous under Regina's scrutinizing gaze. Over the years, Snow had gotten used to it. Whether she was Queen or Mayor or parent, Regina was constantly judging everyone around her and criticizing their very existence and Snow was quite used to it. But this time was different. This time, Regina's eyes were worrisome and irritated, not because of anything that Snow did, but because in her mind and in her heart, Alice was already Regina and Emma's daughter.

"She's with David. I asked him if he could come pick her up. I wanted to talk to you and Emma first." Snow admitted.

Regina folded her arms and scowled, even as Emma joined them and set a glass of scotch in front of her. "So what's going on, Mom?"

"It's about Alice," Snow began. Regina made a loud scoffing noise and threw her hands up. Snow shrank back slightly, watching the woman's face distort into a sneer.

"Yes, we got that, Snow White. Get to the point."

Emma gently placed a hand on Regina's knee. "Hey... relax, Gina. I know you're worried, but snapping at my mom isn't going to help." Regina huffed again, snatching up her glass and taking a large swig of the otherwise quality scotch. She regretted it as soon as she did it. She hated wasting good liquor.

Snow shifted in her seat, unable to look at Regina or Emma in the eyes. She took a nervous sip of her wine before she set the glass down. "First, I want you to promise that you'll act like you're surprised when Alice shows it to you. She begged me to not show you because she wants to do it herself. But when I saw it, I couldn't help but become worried." Regina narrowed her eyes at the woman across from her. It took every bit of resistance she had in her to not reach over and shake Snow.

"We promise," Emma assured her mother. She didn't need to get confirmation from Regina, her girlfriend would do anything necessary for the children. Henry and Alice were a soft spot for her. Although she had little tolerance for their parents, even Grace, Hansel and Gretel easily got into Regina's good graces.

Snow hesitated a minute before getting off the seat and going to the curtain. She took out the small canvas, just barely larger than a notebook and slowly turned it to them. Brown and green eyes widened as they observed the painting in Snow's hands.

"It's... well, frankly it's incredible." Regina whispered. She got down from her seat as well, reaching her hand out to the painting. "That really does look like me... and my mother." She suddenly snapped her hand away and straightened her back, "It's only a painting, Snow. Why do you look so frightened?"

"What if she really is Alice? What's going to happen when your mother comes back to town?"

Regina shrugged, "I think we should be focusing more on her talent. Considering that _you're_ Snow White, the chances of her being _the_ Alice who threw my own mother into a rampage makes it all the more important for her to stay with this family. Do you really think someone on the outside is going to understand? But I really don't care if she _is_ Alice or just a little girl named Alice. I love that child. So no matter what happens in the end, it's not going to change the fact that she has a family here. I'd like to know how a girl with an ability like that has gone so long without being adopted by a family."

A small huff of consideration came from Emma as the blonde woman folded her arms, staring intently at the painting. "I'm worried, ya know? Her art is... really violent." She tore her eyes away from the canvas to look at Snow, "Mom, was Alice angry or anything when she was doing this?"

"No, not at all. In fact, she was very calm and focused." Snow answered as she sat back in her seat. She set the painting down on the chair next to her, making sure it wouldn't slide off or fall.

"It's not so much the content of the piece that's got me worried, it's the purpose. If that's really supposed to be me and Regina, then it seems like Alice expects us to be heroes or destroyers. I'm not sure which one, but either option leads to... I mean, look at it! I've got a sword in a monster and no matter what way you look at it, Regina has cut off that woman's head." Emma turned, now to face Regina. The woman met her gaze and frowned slightly, "It might be a good idea to take Alice to Archie next week. I really want to help her, but we can't help if we don't understand what's going on with her."

Regina sat down on the bar stool again and sighed, looking rather distraught. She gave Emma's request some serious thought, weighing out every possibility and situation in her head. She had hoped that just between her, Emma and Henry, they would be able to open up Alice's world. But even Regina knew that there were things that required a lot more effort. Slowly, she nodded her head, "I suppose I can make an appointment with Archie on Monday."

Emma gave a relieved and thankful sigh. "Thanks, Gina." She glanced at her mother who was still nervously pawing at her wine glass. "What is it, Mom?"

"Hypothetically... if she really is Alice... what will you do?"

As if it were the silliest question in the world, Regina smirked and placed her hand on Emma's arm, "We would still do the same thing. We're a family, Snow. You should understand that as well as anyone else." Emma suddenly felt nervous, a creeping fear crawling through her chest. She glanced at Regina's hand, as if the gentle touch was the source of her fear. It was, in a sense. The hesitance she felt the first time Regina had asked her to move in came flooding back. Emma knew what it meant for her to accept that she would be a family with Regina, Henry and Alice. It meant finally having a real home. But it also meant that she was rooted in a way that was foreign to her. A million thoughts ran through her brain. Emma felt a cold sweat forming on her skin. _What happens after we adopt Alice? Do we have to be married to adopt her? What if we can't? Wait, do I have to be married to Regina? I don't... dislike that, but I don't even know if I want to get married. Does she even want to move this relationship further? Maybe she does... is she waiting on me? Oh christ, I'm freaking out. _She nervously pulled her arm away from Regina, causing the other woman to glare at her in the corner of her eye.

Regina brushed her tongue against her lips before casting her eyes in any direction except towards Snow or Emma. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting out of Emma. She thought that they were getting past Emma's issues with settling down. But Regina knew not to expect too much. It had taken a lost foster child and some classic deal swindling to get Emma to move in. She would've made herself look like a complete fool if she expected Emma to easily slide into the family setting without the option to leave when she felt confined. To be fair, Regina knew from her few conversations with Snow, that Emma wasn't immediately keen on bonding with her parents in the beginning either. She would let it slide for now, but like with any important detail, Regina filed it away in her thoughts for a future conversation. One she definitely intended to have with Emma sooner rather than later. A nagging thought settled in her brain, causing her to stand on the precipice of fear. If she had loved Daniel once and she loved Emma now, what would stop that love from just disappearing over time?

Snow finished the last bit of wine in her glass. "Sorry, for pulling you two away from your afternoon. How was the spa?"

Emma shrugged, "We didn't go yet. Got up to the room and napped. Riding that horse really took a lot out of me." She stretched, emphasizing the soreness in her body that came from riding and rolling around the sheets.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Regina finished her drink and moved off the chair. "But perhaps the spa is a good idea now. Emma, shall we?" Regina held her hand out towards the blonde woman and smiled when Emma gratefully took her hand. "Thank you, Snow. For telling us about your concerns with Alice. We'll be sure to keep everything in mind, but it doesn't change how I feel about the issue."

Snow nodded, as if Regina's affirmation were all she needed to stop worry about everything. She'd still be worried, but Snow felt she had done her part both as grandmother and as a leader in making sure that the situation would be handled. Although a small part of her still feared for the moment when Cora would return to Storybrooke. She had seen what had happened to Alice when she encountered Jefferson. If the Mad Hatter frightened Alice... then what did the Queen of Hearts do to her to make the child wish for her death?

* * *

David was silent during his walk with Alice and Henry. He sat on a stone bench, watching the children run in and out of the hedges of the garden.

"Henry! Don't run too fast, Alice can't keep up you with you!" he called out to them.

Henry skidded to a stop, grinning at his grandfather for a moment before looking over his shoulder. "If I slow down, she'll catch me, Grandpa!"

Alice ducked behind a hedge, hiding in the shadow knowing that Henry would come around the corner again. He had been letting her chase him in a loop, using the turn of the pathway to get ahead of her. She poked her head out cautiously. Henry was barreling down the path at full speed, taking advantage of the straight length between the hedges to run without reservation. He was a blur as he passed her, but she was just as quick, jumping out after him and reaching desperately for his shirt. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed as she touched Henry's arm.

Henry shrieked in response, laughing as he slowed down to catch his breath. "I think..." he started as he tried to catch his breath, "You might be faster than Gretel."

Alice huffed as well, brushing the leaves from the hedge off of the new Lucky Brand jeans she was wearing. "I'm really good at running."

"Hey, how come you didn't talk before?" Henry asked. He stood up, tilting his head curiously at the girl.

"Cause..." Alice began, shuffling her feet slightly, "Adults get mad at me when I talk. They said I make things up and that I'm a liar. Good kids don't lie. But your moms are nice to me and so are your grandparents. I don't think they'll get mad at me."

Henry nodded, offering his hand to Alice, "Adults say that when they don't believe anymore. Even Mom and Emma. You just gotta help them believe again."

She took his hand and nodded in agreement as they started walking back towards David, "Did that happen to you, too?"

"Kinda. Mom thought I was having problems so she made me see Archie, he's the town shrink. He believed me, a little bit. Mary Margaret, I mean, Grandma Snow really helped, too. She didn't know she was helping put everything back together but she helped." Henry stopped and looked at Alice with a lost expression. "That's really confusing, isn't it?"

Alice's shoulders raised slightly, "A little bit. It's okay." Henry wanted to ask her more, but it seemed as if Alice's eyes were focused on the ground ahead and her thoughts had long left the conversation. They just walked together in silence back to David.

The prince smirked as the children approached him. "Tired yourselves out, did you? How about we head back?"

"It's still early," a voice said from down the pathway to the estate. Snow smiled softly as David and the children looked up at her. "I think we have some time to go to the archery range."

Henry grinned, "Yes! Grandma, can you show me how to split an arrow?!"

Snow laughed as she reached them and placed a hand on his head. "Well, you can certainly try. Alice, I put your painting in your room. You can give it to Regina and Emma later, okay?"

Alice nodded with a small smile. Snow offered her hand to Alice, who took it slowly while still holding Henry's hand with her other one. David laughed softly, watching as Henry, Alice and Snow formed a hand linked chain. "Hang on a second... we should get a picture of this." David pulled out his phone and glared at it, "Why can't this thing have a timer?"

Henry broke away from Alice and hurried over to his grandfather, "Wait, there's an app for that, Grandpa." He held his hand out and waited for David to hand him the phone. After tapping away at the screen, he handed it back to David and smirked. "Just put your password in so it can download."

Sure enough, the app downloaded quickly and David took a moment to maneuver through it. Once he was sure he had figured it out, he propped the phone on the stone bench where he was sitting. The timer beeped loudly. "All right, 15 seconds!" He rushed to crouch next to Henry, pulling his grandson in front of him and Snow with his other arm. She crouched down as well, nudging Alice to stand in front of her as she held the girl lightly in her arms. Fifteen seconds felt like a long time, but after what felt like an hour, the phone beeped again and the picture went off. When David picked up his phone again, he smiled happily at the picture of himself and Snow with their grandchildren.

Snow peered over his shoulder and looked at the screen, "Aww, that's cute. What are you doing?"

"Sending it to Regina and Emma," he answered. After the phone swooshed the picture to the abyss of shared media in hopes that it would at least reach his daughter's phone, he continued to tap away at the screen.

"Now what are you doing, Grandpa?" Henry asked curiously.

"Sending the picture to people at home. Leroy, Marco, Granny Lucas, Ruby, Belle, Archie... Oh! Mother Superior and Astrid, Tiny, Sleepy, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Bashful... how many people can you send messages to?" he wondered aloud.

"If you run out of space, you can always just send another one. Do nuns even have cell phones?" Snow shrugged. "It really is a cute picture. We should get Regina and Emma to take one with the kids, too."

Alice looked up at Snow and tugged at her sweater, "Can I be in that too?"

Snow's face contorted into one that was desperately trying to hold back tears. Alice's pure honesty was endearing, but what hurt Snow was that it always seemed as if Alice felt like she was intruding in on their family. She bent down and hugged Alice, brushing her hand over the girl's ragged blonde hair. "Of course you're going to be in that picture, Alice. We want you to be in that picture and every single one we all take as a family from now on." Snow placed her hand on Alice's cheek, giving her a hopeful smile. Alice sucked in an excited breath before she threw her arms around Snow's neck in a tight hug. Snow realized then that Regina was right. No matter where Alice came from or who she really was, all that mattered at this point was that she belonged here.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Regina snapped as soon as the door was closed. Emma had strode in ahead of her, heading straight to the bedroom and kicking off her boots. Regina followed her in and leaned against the door frame.

"What?" Emma asked, tilting her head curiously. She struggled with her second boot for a second before it came loose with an oomph.

"When your mother asked what we would do about Alice. I said we'd still be a family and you pulled away. _You pulled away from me, Emma_." Regina replied, emphasizing her words. She was fuming with irritation. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Emma sighed and stood up. She crossed the room to Regina where she met her gaze hard with dark green eyes. "I just got a little scared."

"Scared?!" Regina hissed sharply. She threw her hands in the air and pushed past Emma into the bedroom. "What the hell is there to be scared of now? We've been dating for over a year, we have a son and from what I gathered, you wouldn't mind taking in Alice as our daughter." She stopped halfway through the room and folded her arms, glaring at Emma.

"I... it's not like that, Regina," Emma replied softly. She shifted her gaze to the carpet, staring at some swirl of color near Regina's high heel. Shuffling her feet nervously, she slowly raised her head to meet the hard gaze of her girlfriend. "It still freaks me out sometimes, this whole 'settling down' thing. I'm not used to it!"

Regina narrowed her eyes more, eyeing the blonde woman who still refused to come back into the room. But she wanted her to. Regina desperately wanted Emma to take her in her arms and reassure her that everything was all right and that she would stay. She wanted the unspoken promise of solidarity in their relationship. Without it, she knew she could lose everything in the simple gust of wind that might pass by. "Why don't you want to be a part of this family?"

"I do!" Emma answered quickly. She wondered if it was too quick as she felt Regina's stare burn holes into her chest. "Look, I've never stayed too long anywhere. Because whatever was keeping me there went away. Families, friends, even fucking Neal. All of it disappears. I... sometimes I think that this will disappear too. I'm scared because one day I might come home and you decided that you don't want me around anymore." Emma slid down the door frame and sat against it, curling her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the other side of the door frame.

"Emma..." Regina began softly. But the blonde suddenly looked up at her, soft green eyes brimming with tears.

Emma shut her eyes tight, willing the tears away and took a deep breath. "Everyone abandons me, Regina. That's how it's always been. Even when I think things are going to be okay, something happens. Everyone always leaves me. I'm scared of settling into this because I know as soon as I do, it'll go away. That's _my_ curse."

She should have felt compassion and a bit of sympathy for Emma, but Regina felt herself becoming angry. She hated how Emma doubted herself, doubted her love and even the love of Henry or her own parents. It may have taken her 28 years to find it, but she finally achieved it. Her parents, Snow and David, were in her life and they supported her, loved her, and wanted nothing but the best for her. Henry, the child she gave up, loved her unconditionally. It angered Regina, seeing as how everything had fallen into place for Emma. She had to work for it, Regina didn't remember a single moment where she didn't struggle to achieve the love she had. Daniel had been ripped away from her. She sacrificed her own father for vengeance. Henry had adored her until Emma had come along and Regina had to fight everything she knew within her to win his love back. Even with Emma, she had to struggle with her own conflicting emotions to really see the woman for who she was and allow herself to fall in love with her. The more she wanted Emma to stay, to solidify their relationship, the more Emma pulled away and it was eating at her like a disease. It scared her and angered her in a way that Regina was familiar with.

"How dare you..." Regina sneered. Emma looked up to see the tears freely falling from Regina's brown eyes. "How fucking dare you, Emma. You have no idea how lucky you are. I've seen it all from the other side of the window. How your parents loved you, how Henry loved you... how I saw myself fall in love with you. It all just happened. You didn't sacrifice anything to have that love. It all just fell happily into your lap! But you have _no_ _idea_ how I had to fight through all of this!" Regina's shoulders began to shake as sobs took over her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, unable to stop the tears as they poured from her eyes.

Emma scrambled to her feet and crossed the space between them in just a few steps. Pulling Regina into her arms, she hugged her close and buried her face in the other woman's shoulder. "Regina, please... don't cry, please..." she begged.

Angered, Regina pushed Emma away. "No, you don't get to tell me how hard it is for you. You don't know how hard it is for me! _Everything_ I ever loved has been taken from me! They didn't just waltz away into another life away from me, they were taken! Either by someone else's or by my own hand! No, you're not allowed to feel sorry for yourself when you can't even begin to understand what I suffer through." Unable to control herself, Regina walked away from Emma and sat on the bed, covering her face in her hands. Emma knelt in front of her, gently placing her hands on Regina's knees. She thought the woman would move away from her again, but she silently breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't. "Every day I wake up, scared that this won't last. I know your history. You never stay in one place. I'm terrified, Emma, that one day you'll be tired of _me_. That you'll decide that you don't want this tired woman who's always been the villain in everyone's minds. You won't want to deal with it anymore. That you won't want me. Do you know how hard that is? I _love_ you, Emma. But I don't even think you really understand what that means."

A small smile appeared on Emma's lips as Regina sighed tiredly and put her hands down. She took both of Regina's tear stained hands in hers and raised up on her feet to kiss her cheek. "I do know what it means, Regina. It means we're both scared. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose Henry or my parents or Alice. I want all of this to keep going, just like it's been... I want to see you every morning next to me. I've never wanted anything as much as I want this, but that's what scares me. I want it so bad that I'm afraid it's some kind of lucid dream."

"Tell me that you love me." Regina said quietly. "This is all a some kind of hallucination to me and I don't want to wake up from it. If I do, I might still be in a cold, dark castle. Alone and broken. Tell me that this is real and that you're real."

Emma stood up and cupped her hands around Regina's face. She leaned in a kissed her softly, just slightly brushing her tongue against Regina's dark red lips. When the woman gave way, she slipped her tongue in and pressed herself against Regina, lowering her onto the bed. When Emma raised her head for a breath, she felt her heart flutter as her eyes met Regina's. "I love you. I love you so much that it hurts me, Regina. I've never been so in love that I was scared. The fact that it frightens me only tells me that it's really real. I don't want to lose any of it."

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and pulled her down into another kiss. Her hands worked their way into her hair, stringing blonde strands between her fingers. "Don't leave me, Emma," she whispered into their kiss.

Emma lifted her head again and smiled softly. She shifted her body to lay next to Regina and wriggled her arm under the other woman's waist, pulling her close. "I won't. I can't leave you. I'm sorry if I upset you, I just... It'll just take some time for me to really let this all sink in. I'm not used to someone wanting me around."

As she shifted in Emma's arms, Regina felt her heart beat loudly, echoing in her ears. The closeness, the sincerity of Emma's words were both painful and welcoming. Regina knew Emma would struggle with having a relationship that was more than casual dating. For a short time, Regina was fine with it. But she discovered that the more she fell for the blonde Sheriff, the more she wanted to keep her close and ensure that nothing could destroy the happiness she finally had achieved. She felt Emma's breath on her hair as she wrapped her arm around her waist and pressed her body closer to the younger woman.

They lay there silently for quite sometime, mulling over the argument in their heads. Regina decided it was best not to push anymore, for now. She knew that if she questioned her girlfriend further, Emma would shrink back as if Regina were made of fire. Emma had become so quiet that Regina wondered how upset their argument had made her. It wasn't until she heard Emma breathing softly in her ear that she realized the blonde had fallen asleep.

The warmth of Regina's body against hers made Emma relax. Her heart was pounding after arguing with Regina. Her whole body felt like it had been stretched to its limit and all she wanted was to relax. It wasn't long before exhaustion took over her body and she fell into a light sleep, holding Regina close to her.

It was the loud chirping of Emma and Regina's phones that shook them from their de-stress nap. Emma jumped up to scramble for her phone. Her body was shaking from having woken up so quickly as she grabbed her phone. Regina rolled on her side and sighed tiredly. Lifting herself from the bed, she slowly walked to her purse for her phone as Emma was staring at hers.

"This..." Emma muttered. She turned with her phone held in her outstretched hand. Regina tapped on her phone just as she looked up at Emma's. "This is why I can't leave you or Storybrooke."

Regina looked at the image and felt the tug at her heart again. The text below read "**_Em and Regina, Snow and I want a picture with you two and the kids before we leave tomorrow._**" She smiled softly and shook her head. "You know, Emma... sometimes your parents are just too much."

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked. She tapped at her phone, saving the picture in her photo album.

"They irritate me to no end, but once in awhile they do something like this..." Regina shrugged. She saved the photo in her own phone and looked up. "I think they could use some time alone. They've been with the kids all morning. I've calmed down, but that massage you mentioned earlier would help. Let's go relax for awhile and then release your parents from babysitting duties."

Relieved that Regina was feeling a little better, Emma smiled brightly. Her heart felt lighter as well, having voiced her frustrations earlier. "Sounds like a plan." She followed Regina out of the bedroom once they were ready to head out again. Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's wrist as she turned the doorknob. She pulled the older woman to her and hugged her close. "I'm sorry, Regina."

Wanting to throw up her defenses as normal, Regina held her tongue for a moment. She carefully considered her response before kissing Emma's cheek. "Stop. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Emma. Now, let's get going. I have a feeling there's a large Bulgarian woman with strong hands I want all over my back."

Emma's jaw dropped as Regina slinked away from her and out the door. The blonde followed, still wearing the shocked expression on her face. She was silent until they got into the elevator when it finally passed through her brain, "I'm starting to dislike the idea of this massage." Regina laughed, linking her arms around Emma's before kissing her softly as the doors closed.

* * *

Mulan had proudly finished her report on the very first incident she could write about in the police department activity log. It would have been better if she had a ticket written for Archie's transgression. She was positive she would earn the Sheriff's respect as an employer and commanding officer.

Her phone beeped from her pocket. It was a photo message from Ruby. Mulan wondered if her friend was going to try and tease her again with another photo of bacon. Not just bacon, triple stacked bacon weaves on a burger. She was slightly relieved when she opened the image and found the picture to be of Snow White, Prince Charming, Henry and the young blonde girl that was with Regina the first day Mulan had encountered the woman. Although lunch was not that long ago, her stomach grumbled at the thought of bacon. She sighed, "I am pleased that they are enjoying their weekend. In that case, I must ensure that I perform well this weekend. It will not be satisfactory if I cannot maintain this town while the Sheriff, the Mayor and the Prince and Princess are away." With renewed vigor for her chosen career path, Mulan sat down at the computer and continued with her search for Alice's family.

Further up the road from the Sheriff's station, Ruby, Aurora and Granny were enjoying a quiet lull in the diner. They were crowded around Ruby's phone to look at the picture David had sent. "That's the kid Emma picked up outside of town, isn't it?" Granny asked. Aurora smiled as the picture showed up on her phone. It seemed that David did not have her number, so Ruby decided to share it with her and Mulan.

"Her name is Alice," Ruby replied, smiling as she rolled her eyes. "They're cute! Look at them! Wherever that private resort that Regina found is at, it's really gorgeous."

"She looks like Emma's kid," Leroy grumbled from his bar seat. He rested his head on the bar counter, staring at his phone in front of him. "How many illegitimate children does that woman have anyways?" Leroy lay his head down on the bar counter, encouraged by the alcohol in his system.

"That was rude, Leroy. Don't make me kick you out of here," Ruby growled. "How'd you get a picture of them, too?"

The little man shrugged, "The Prince and I are buddies. Got a problem with that? Ya know, his wife lived with me and my brothers for awhile? You couldn't have forgotten the story already, Red."

"Ugh, shut up and pass out already, Leroy." Ruby rolled her eyes again and made a point to ignore the drunken man.

Aurora sat back on the bar seat and smiled, "What a handsome family. But where are Regina and Emma?"

A playful smirk grew on Ruby's lips as she put her phone away, "I have a pretty good idea, but I'd rather not think about it." She laughed as Aurora continued to stare at her with confused eyes.

The bell on the door chimed as Mother Superior and Astrid walked into the diner, holding stacks of flyers. Astrid frowned at the sight of Leroy leaned over on the bar. Ruby reached over and smacked his head, jolting the irritable man from his stupor. Leroy snapped his head up and glared at Ruby before following the path of her gaze. He turned in his seat and saw Astrid standing there with a rather disappointed look on her face. Too drunk to really assess the situation, he disappeared into the men's restroom to hide until hopefully the nuns would leave. He really wasn't in the mood to have to explain himself to a nun. Especially not to one he thought was attractive. Damn fairies.

Astrid sighed as she followed Mother Superior farther into the diner. The redheaded nun set down a small stack of flyers on the counter in front of Ruby and Aurora. "Good afternoon, ladies. We were wondering if you'd be kind enough to distribute some of these during your business hours. It's for the upcoming Storybrooke Orphanage Fundraiser that we're holding at the church."

Granny shrugged, "Do what you like as long as it doesn't get in the way of business. Ruby, better get changed and hurry on to the station. You promised Mulan you'd pick her up."

"Oh, shoot. That's right. Okay, I'm out. Aurora, you'll be all right on the dinner shift?" Ruby asked as she removed her apron.

"I will be fine, Ruby, thank you." Aurora turned to Mother Superior, "What is it exactly you'd like for us to do with these?"

"Oh! Just...leave them out so people can pick them up. Maybe put one in the window?" Astrid offered quietly. Her eyes drifted towards the men's restroom where Leroy was hiding. "Is...Leroy all right?"

"He'll be fine!" Granny grumbled from the kitchen. "I'll drag his ass onto the street if he passes out in there. Whatever, you ladies just leave those flyers there. But we've got a dinner rush to prepare for."

Mother Superior and Astrid understood that it was their cue to leave. Astrid looked back towards the restroom one more time before turning towards the front sadly. Mother Superior turned her head to see Aurora pull out her phone again to make sure she saved the image Ruby had sent her.

"What's that you have there, Aurora?"

"Oh, it is a photograph from David and Snow from their vacation," Aurora answered. She held up her phone to show Mother Superior. The woman glanced at the photo, then smiled softly. Aurora beamed, happy she could share the warmth that the picture had brought her. "It looks like they're having a lot of fun."

"Indeed. Thank you for allowing us to leave some flyers here." Mother Superior nodded before she turned away towards the exit. "Come, Astrid. We have several more shops to visit." She swept past the other woman to the door, causing Astrid to double her pace to catch up with her.

Granny sighed from the kitchen, "Good afternoon to you, too. These religious types, I tell you..."

The bathroom door creaked open as Leroy poked his head out. Ruby passed by, dressed in her street clothes and smirked. "She's gone now, Leroy. You can come out of hiding."

"I'm not hiding," he grumbled. He shuffled back to his seat and picked up his glass again. Leroy turned to look at the front door, then sighed and spun around in the chair to face the bar. "I just had to use the restroom."

"That's an awful long time in the bathroom, you grumpy fart," Granny laughed, sticking her head up to peer at him through the kitchen window. "If you've blown up my restrooms, I'm making you clean it all with a toothbrush." The custodian groaned and downed the rest of his whiskey. It was moments like these that he missed the Enchanted Forest. Things weren't as complicated there. But he had to admit, the booze wasn't half as good as it was in Storybrooke.

* * *

After a light dinner, Regina had suggested that Snow and David have some time to themselves. The twilight ambiance of the apple orchard was too enticing to resist, so she had asked Emma, Henry and Alice to walk with her. David and Snow were more than happy to agree. They had spent the entire day with their grandchildren which was delightful, but they had hoped to have some quiet time together.

Alice had presented the painting to Regina and Emma at dinner and was pleased that they seemed excited by it. Henry was equally impressed, insisting that it should be a comic book. Alice could only smile happily. The first few times she had painted or drawn anything from her dreams, she was quickly deposited back into the system or into a therapist's chair. This was the first family that applauded her artwork. Regina kissed Alice on her cheek and promised to hang it up at home. Once Emma put the painting away in their room, the family headed out to the orchard's walking trail.

Emma grasped Regina's hand as they walked down the lit path through the orchard with Henry and Alice walking ahead of them. The children darted back and forth between the trees, observing everything they could find, from the leaves to fallen sticks and little bugs. Regina smiled, occasionally admonishing Henry or Alice for running or picking up something strange.

"Relax, babe. They're kids. If they don't get into stuff like that, they'll never learn." Emma laughed.

"Books would provide enough information."

"Books won't scrape your knees and feel like slimy worms or dirt," Emma pointed out.

Regina let go of Emma's hand as if it suddenly was covered in dirt and worms. "That's disgusting. Why on earth would anyone _want_ to touch that stuff or hurt themselves? Henry's scraped himself enough growing up. We don't need to encourage anymore."

"It was only one time, Mom!" Henry called out to her from several paces ahead. He had a long stick in his hand that he was using to poke at a cicada on a tree.

"Henry, put that down. Someone's going to get hurt with that," she scolded. Henry sighed and dropped the stick.

Emma laughed again, then looked up towards the trees. "Huh... wow, their apples are really big. I'm surprised there's still some on the branches. It's getting kind of cold for them, isn't it?"

"Haven't you learned anything from being with me, Emma?" Regina smiled as she followed Emma's line of sight towards the apples. "Harvest season usually goes until the end of October, dear. They do look good, don't they?"

Alice turned back from where she was with Henry to join Emma and Regina in their gazing of the apples in the tree. After a careful moment of thought, she hurried over to a tree with low branches. Glancing at the branches, she jumped up, trying to reach for the lowest branch. Finding that she couldn't catch enough air, she frowned and sighed in disappointment.

Suddenly, Alice felt herself being raised in the air. Emma's arms were around her legs, lifting the little girl above her shoulders so she could grab the branch safely. A sharp gasp came from Regina as Alice climbed up into the tree. "Emma! What are you doing?! She could get hurt!"

"She'll be fine," Emma assured her girlfriend. "Right, Alice? I'll climb up with you."

"I'm okay," Alice answered. She shimmied across the branch to reach for the apples.

Henry joined his mother as he watched Alice climb the tree. "No fair, Mom. I never got to climb trees..."

"Alice wouldn't be up there either if I had any say in it." Regina replied, glaring at Emma.

The Sheriff stood beneath Alice, watching her carefully. "I'm right here, Regina. It's fine."

"What if she falls?!" Regina snapped back, her face fully of worry. Alice reached for an apple and plucked it off with a smile. She threw it down to Henry who caught it with a smile. Scooting forward on the branch, she pulled off another apple, shaking the branch and causing some leaves to fall. Regina nervously watched as Emma stayed below Alice to catch her. Emma grinned, impressed that the little girl she had discovered in the woods earlier that week had granted them enough of her trust to climb a tree in their care.

Another branch on the tree shook as Henry quickly shimmied up into the foliage. He snatched two apples as he straddled the branch. "Mom, over here! Come catch these!"

"Henry Mills, you come down here this instant!" Regina shrieked, her eyes wild with fear for both of her children. "Emma, you are _not_ helping!"

"All right, fine," Emma replied with a pout. "Come on down, Alice. You're going to give Regina a heart attack. You, too, Henry." Alice nodded and swung down off the branch, dangling for a second before releasing herself into Emma's arms. Henry slowly descended from the tree, but lost his footing halfway down the trunk. He slipped, ripping a hole into his jeans and landing on his rear with a thud. Emma spun around and set Alice down, running to her son, "Henry!"

"Oh my god..." Regina ran to their fallen son with Alice close behind her. Henry was looking away sheepishly as he covered his leg where the denim ripped. "Henry, are you all right?" Regina fell to her knees beside him and immediately began inspecting her son for any scrapes or injuries.

"I'm okay, Mom... sorry. My jeans ripped," the boy's face was downcast and apologetic. As much as Regina wanted to scold him for deliberately disobeying her, she realized that punishing one child for climbing a tree meant punishing three people: Henry, Alice and Emma.

"Well," she said with a composed smile, "It's just clothes. As long as you're not hurt. But don't do that again. You scared me, Henry."

Henry looked down at the ground, unable to look his mother in her eyes. "Sorry," he apologized. When he looked up, Regina was eyeing Emma and Alice. The two blondes were also holding their heads down shamefully. The boy wanted to laugh a little, seeing his other mother hanging her head down like a child.

"Really, Emma, what sort of example are you setting for Henry and Alice if you encourage this kind of behavior?" Regina stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking rather exhausted. "Alice, please don't do that again. I don't want you getting hurt either."

"Sorry," Alice apologized.

After dusting the dirt and leaves off of her skirt, Regina sighed and looked at the three apologetic faces in front of her. Realizing that she may have scolded her family enough, she smiled slightly and walked away from them. She took off her jacket and went about collecting the apples Henry and Alice had harvested and put them in her jacket like a basket. Returning to where they stood, she put on a bright smile as Emma tended to the dirt that had built up on the children. "Why don't we take these back to the estate and see if the kitchen will let us make something with these? I think there's a guest kitchen we can use."

Henry and Alice's heads snapped up. Emma chuckled slightly, "I vote for pie."

"Turnovers!" Henry said excitedly.

Handing her jacket to Henry, Regina took Emma by the arm. "We can make whatever you want. _You'll_ be the ones making it."

* * *

It wasn't until they were done with dinner at the Atrium before the could get started on the treats. A small guest kitchen was available for use. Emma found it odd that there would even be one there, but Regina explained that the orchard and baking in the guest kitchen were some of the most popular activities on the estate.

David and Snow had excused themselves after dinner with Snow using the excuse that she wanted to pack early and be ready to go in the morning. Henry had tried to tell her she'd be missing out in the guest kitchen, but Snow adamantly refused to be anywhere near Regina and a handful of apples.

The marbled counter in the large guest kitchen was tidied and all the ingredients they had used were put away when Alice, Henry, Emma and Regina stood in front of their work with satisfied smiles. As promised, Regina had helped Henry make a turnover. She and Emma were somehow able to bake a small pie without getting flour on each other. Alice and Regina had worked on making a single cinnamon apple tart. Emma was surprised at how well Regina moved in the kitchen between the three of them, giving instructions and helping wherever necessary.

Henry was staring at the turnover intently. He wanted to eat it and it had cooled down enough for him to pick it up. But the conflicted look in his eyes made Emma tilt her head curiously. "What's wrong, kid?"

The boy folded his arms and stared harder at the pastry. "I helped Mom make it and I saw everything that went inside it... But I'm still kind of scared."

"Of what?" Emma folded her arms, mirroring her son's stance. Regina suppressed a small giggle.

"Last time I are a turnover like this, I woke up in the hospital."

Regina glared at Henry and sighed in frustration. "That wasn't for you."

"No, it was for me," Emma replied with a smile. "So that's why I'll test your turnover for you!" Her smile grew as she reached over for Henry's turnover and took a large bite and placed the pastry back on its. Henry watched with trepidation, although his common sense told him that it was just a simple turnover. He had done most of it himself. Regina had only helped him organizing his ingredients and giving him instructions on how to prepare the apples or mix the flour and eggs. The rest of the time she was busy with Alice and Emma.

Henry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as Emma dropped to the ground. "Emma!" He stepped forward slowly towards her body, nervous and scared that his other mother had reverted back to her devious habits.

Regina dropped the kitchen rag in her hands and rushed to Emma's side, falling down on her knees beside the Sheriff, "Emma! Emma, wake up! What happened?!" she frantically lifted the younger woman into her arms and kissed her hard, praying that whatever had befallen on her lover would be cancelled out by true love's kiss. When Emma didn't respond, Regina felt the sting of hot tears behind her eyes. She looked up and saw the fear she felt mirrored in Henry and Alice's eyes. "Alice, Henry, go find David and Snow! Tell them Emma's collapsed! Hurry!"

Although she was trying not to laugh, Emma suddenly sat up and grabbed Henry's wrist, "No, don't! Sorry! I was just pulling a prank!" Regina stood up with a huff, dropping Emma unceremoniously out of her arms. "I'm sorry..." Emma apologized as she sat up.

"That was mean!" Henry scowled. Alice looked up at him, feeling a bit of pity at his sensitivity. She thought it was a little funny, not understanding the history behind the prank.

"I agree, that was a terrible prank, Emma." Regina glared at the blonde as Emma picked herself up off the floor.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys; I was trying to teach Henry a lesson."

"What kind of lesson was that supposed to be, Emma?!" Henry grumbled, sounding very much like Regina at that moment. "_Troll Parenting 101: How to Make Your 12-year-old Son Afraid of Pastries?_"

Emma's eyes widened at Henry's attitude, trying her hardest not to laugh. "We really gotta restrict your internet allowances, kid."

Finding the situation funnier than she had a moment ago, Regina smiled and hugged Henry tightly, "I love you, Henry." Emma shrugged as she watched their son return the hug although his face was showing the pre-pubescent irritated reaction to his mother's affections.

Alice shuffled to Emma and tugged on her sleeve. When the blonde looked down at the girl, Alice smiled. "I thought it was funny."

With a laugh, Emma lifted Alice up into her arms. "I'm glad one of you did."

"Really Emma, I'd like to know what you were trying to accomplish with that prank just now," Regina insisted, finally letting Henry go so he could finish the rest of the turnover Emma had left him.

"That not everything is as bad as he makes it out to be. It's just a pastry."

"Faf's nof wha hapfend lash time!" Henry argued with his mouth full of flaky turnover. Regina scowled. He swallowed hard and looked away. She had raised him with good manners that seemed to fly out the window the moment Emma was around.

"First, don't talk with your mouth full, kid. Second, I'm sorry I tricked you. I guess it was kinda mean." Emma apologized again for perhaps the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes.

"You're like a child," Regina sighed. "All right, let's finish off these desserts and clean up, then it's off to bed. We have to head back tomorrow morning so Emma and I can go to work tomorrow."

It didn't take them long to devour the baked goods. Although she could have made her own, Regina enjoyed stealing bites of Emma's pie and Alice's tart. Alice was more than happy to share, but Emma pouted every time Regina snuck her fork into the pie. Regina had even made sure to add in extra cinnamon for her girlfriend.

The day had been long and the family was exhausted. Once Henry and Alice were in bed, Regina and Emma returned to their room where they both lazily undressed for the evening and collapsed beside each other on the large mattress.

Emma smiled as Regina curled up against her and pulled the Sheriff's arm across her waist. She kissed her shoulder softly before Regina reached over to turn off the light. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Are you still on about that turnover, Emma? I get it, you were just acting like a child. I've gotten used to that kind of behavior from you," Regina smirked in the darkness, feeling the warmth of Emma's skin against hers.

"No, I meant what we were talking about earlier today."

"Oh... that. Well, we can always talk about it later. Just promise me that there will be a 'later' for it."

Wrapping her arm tighter around Regina's waist, Emma felt a familiar tugging in her chest. She had never wanted to be close to anyone and yet now, as she laid in the dark with her skin pressed against the smaller woman's body, she felt that she couldn't get close enough. She placed one more light kiss on Regina's shoulders before allowing sleep to take over her body.

* * *

It was nearly ten in the morning before the large family was packed and ready to go. After checking out at the desk, Regina instructed the bellhops to retrieve their car and load up the luggage. She decided that they could have just a few more hours before departing back to Storybrooke.

Alice eagerly tugged on Emma and Regina's sleeves, dragging them into the maze garden. David smiled as they returned and pulled out his phone. "Ready for that picture, Alice?" She nodded quickly. "All right, Henry, Regina, Emma and Alice... right in front of the rose hedges."

At first the family stood awkwardly together, not sure if they should be closely squshed together. Emma rolled her eyes and threw both arms over Regina and Henry's shoulder and pulling them down with her to Alice's height. David grinned as he watched, holding up his phone to take the photo. He turned after it was saved and showed it to Snow who nodded in approval. After a few moments, Emma and Regina's phone's chirped simultaneously as copies of the picture had been distributed.

"Wait, one more!" Alice insisted. Emma shrugged and crouched down next to Alice and pulled the little girl in front of her. "Wait, everyone should be in this, please?'

"Sure thing, princess," David replied with another warm smile. After the day before, he knew exactly what to do with his phone. After setting the timer, he quickly ran to the group. Emma stood in the middle with Regina next to her, one arm around her lover's waist. Snow was next to Emma, both her hands on Henry's shoulders in front of her. Emma's other arm went around Alice's shoulder as she stood in front of Regina and Emma. David hurried and slid into place next to Snow with his arm around her waist. The phone beeped three times signaling the end of the timer. The photo was saved to the phone before David set to work sending it out to everyone he knew. The former Prince knew it was kind of arrogant of him to keep sending his friends in Storybrooke, but he hadn't heard any complaints for the texts and he wanted to share the family he's always waited to have with his friends.

After a quick walk around the garden and allowing Henry and Alice to play a bit more, Regina announced that it was time to go. When they returned to the front of the estate, the black M-Class Mercedes waited out front. With nothing left to load up, Emma accepted the key from the valet and made her way to the front. There was a flash of black passing by her as Regina snatched the keys from her and smiled. "Thank you, dear."

"What? Again?! Regina, just let me drive."Once they were piled in, Regina grinned as she turned on the stereo. The soft sounds of a saxophonne that echoed through the car, effectively making Emma slouch in her chair. "No... I can't take three hours of Kenny G, again!"

Snow laughed, not even bothering to correct Emma on her seating this time. She felt happy and content watching her daughter and the people around her. "Thank you, Regina, for the weekend out here."

"Of course, dear. We _are_ a family, aren't we? Family trips include everyone," Regina answered as she pulled out of the cul-de-sac. "I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. It's back to our little corner of Maine."

"I enjoyed it until all this Kenny G," Emma grumbled. She hit 'next' on iPod and smiled when Alicia Keys came through the stereo. "Much better, I think I can handle this."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you've approved it, dear." She smiled after that and turned her attention to the road home. A warm feeling spread throughout her chest as she came to the realization that her home was not the big white house with the brass 108 on the door. Home was with the five people in the car and for the first time, Regina was happy with it.

* * *

**Whew! Lots going on with this family! Did anyone catch euro with what Mulan and Ruby have been up to in Storybrooke?**

**Keep the reviews coming, guys! What do you think is going to happen now that Alice is opening up more?**


	8. Chapter 8

**_AN: Hello again! Thanks for being so patient as I get these chapters out. This one's a little bit simpler, but there's still a lot of things going on. By the way, did anyone read Apple Lani's sidefic about Mulan and Ruby's weekend? If you haven't, go read "I'll Make a Deputy Out of You." It's hilarious and it seems to be ongoing beyond the vacation weekend. _**

**_Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!_**

* * *

**_The Past in the Present_**

"Hello, Alice. My name is Archie Hopper. I'd like to talk to you."

Alice sat on the soft couch next to Regina, unconsciously scooting closer into the woman's lap. Archie was trying to put on his softest face. He had been a conscience for more years than he could count and a therapist for just as long. Despite his age and appearance, he had twice the lifetime experience of any other therapist in the world. Yet for all the guiding and advice giving he had done through the years, he always struggled with the children of this world. Their fears and problems were not so black and white as they had been in the Enchanted Forest. There was good and evil, hot and cold, and very little in between.

This world was very different. Emotions ran stronger, fueled by so much more than pure love or hate. To a man like Archie Hopper, who's job it was to pull apart those emotions to discover the truth, this world was a mountain of challenge.

Regina looked down at Alice and smiled softly, letting the girl climb into her lap. She put her arms around her, hugging her close. "It's all right, dear. You can talk to Archie." The Mayor looked up at the ginger haired therapist with a shrug of helplessness.

Frankly, Alice was scared. She knew what being in this room meant. It had happened many times, always when she thought she was safe. She scolded herself for painting that picture, now Regina was scared of her. Alice clung tightly to the woman's blazer, wanting to hold on so tight that not even nature could separate her. The fear in her heart was taking root. A therapist's office meant the end of her brief moment of happiness. The parents who had taken her to therapy thought there was something wrong with her. It didn't matter what she said or what she did, in the end, the ones she liked always brought her places like this. Her heart hurt. She thought Regina would be different.

Regina had shown confidence and determination when Snow showed she and Emma the painting Alice had done. She held her head high and insisted on her faith in Alice's innocence and how she felt for the girl. But it scared her. Not so much the content of the painting, but as Emma pointed out, it was violent. It worried her that something could have that effect on such a small girl. Regina didn't know where to go, so she emailed a picture of it to Archie and sent a message asking to meet. The therapist was more than happy to oblige. He had called her and they discussed the situation as she sat in the privacy of her home library.

It was now that Archie had seen Alice in front of him, her reaction and her utter silence that he understood.

He took off his glasses and cleaned them as he laughed softly, "It seems I'm making her nervous. I apologize, Mayor Mills. I'd like to try a different approach since you're here."

"I beg your pardon?" she asked. Regina titled her head curiously as her eyes met Archie's. He nodded with a smile although it seemed to confuse Regina more.

"I just want to ask a few questions, if you don't mind. Of you, specifically." After meeting his gaze head on, the Mayor nodded slowly, her arms still wrapped protectively around Alice's small body. "Wonderful, thank you for your cooperation, Mayor Mills."

"For the purpose of this session, you may use my first name."

"Oh, of course. Thank you... Regina." Archie answered, nervously sounding out the syllables of her name. It wasn't that he was nervous about how he addressed her. He's done it before, but there was something about Regina as a protective mother that made him want to tread very carefully around her. "How are things with your mother, Regina?"

The Mayor tilted her head curiously, "I don't understand how that has anything to do with why we're here."

"I think the more we talk, things will come into light," Archie offered. "Is your mother well?"

Regina smirked, "My mother has been galavanting around the world since she moved here. I hardly see or hear from her, which is a blessing in disguise."

"Why do you say that?" the therapist urged her.

There was a long silent pause before Regina spoke. Alice watched her carefully, taking note of the faint glimmer of sadness in the woman's eyes. "When I see her, I can't help but remember the things she did when I was younger. I'm... I'm still angry about it."

Archie knew the story about Daniel. Regina had told him before in one of their Tuesday morning sessions. But she never shared anything before that time. "Do you mean... the incident in the stable?"

Regina shook her head, "When I was a little girl, there was a servant girl whose family lived on the estate. We were very close in age and she was a sweet girl who had beautiful blonde curls. I was jealous of her, of course. I didn't think it was fair that a servant could be such a pretty girl. It infuriated me because she could do all the things I was not allowed to. My mother told me that I shouldn't be friendly with servants and I tried not to. But she was kind and she would help me sneak out to play in the fields. One day, I went to the garden to meet her but my mother was there instead. She had sent the little girl and her family away because she said I didn't listen. That it was for my own good." Regina's eyes were angry and sad, rimmed with moisture from the pain of her childhood, how little control of it she had. "My mother took everything from me, Archie. My childhood friend, my first love... my freedom. When I disobeyed, she would strike me. It was the only time she would lay a finger on me. For everything else, she left that to nannies and maids."

Alice struggled with an internal debate on whether or not she should speak. The betrayal she felt when Regina brought her to the therapist's office was dissipating. But the look on Regina's face made the girl think. Before Alice could figure out what she should do, Regina's voice shook her from her reverie.

"Alice, sweetie, I'm sorry I brought you here without talking to you. That wasn't very fair. I did the same thing to Henry when he was your age and he wasn't very happy with me. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you," Regina smiled as she brushed her hand over Alice's hair. "Archie is a friend. He only wants to help us. Emma and I love you very much, Alice. But we don't want you to be scared. I was hoping that Archie could help us. Will you let him?"

The usual response would have been no. Alice knew what these therapists were like. They were all the same. After she felt like she could trust them and would tell her story, the end result was always a handful of medication and more often than not, a trip back to the foster home. But despite her better judgment, she felt like she could still trust Regina. She believed her. But some part of her was still hesitant. Alice looked up at Regina, then looked away sadly, "I don't wanna go away."

Regina blinked a few times, trying to process the girl's plea. "I would never send you away, Alice!" She pulled the girl against her, hugging her tight to her chest. "You will always have a home with us, honey. Emma and I will never, ever let anything happen to you."

"Promise? Pinkie promise?" Alice held up her hand towards Regina, sticking out her smallest finger.

With a warm smile, Regina linked her finger with Alice's. "I promise." She tilted her head forward and touched her forehead to the girl's. "If you want us, Alice, Emma and I are going to try our hardest to make you a part of this family. We're going to do it the right way so no one can ever take you from us."

Archie sat back with the clipboard in his lap. He was impressed. Regina had come a long way from where she was two years ago; before Emma Swan, before the end of the curse, before finding her happiness. They still had their sessions once in awhile, mostly to help Regina with her social adjustment. But she was trying and Archie could clearly see it, even if others did not.

"I think we've reached a good stopping point for today," he announced suddenly. Brown and blue eyes met him as he set the clipboard down on the side table. "I'd love to see you again, Alice. Maybe we can talk a little bit, if you're okay with that."

Alice shuffled slightly and fidgeted with her hands before responding quietly, "Do I have to be here by myself?"

"Of course not. Regina or Emma can stay here with you while we talk. Will that be okay?" Archie tilted his head slightly, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. Alice nodded. He smiled, then sat up shifting his gaze to Regina. "Have you thought about school for Alice?"

Regina nodded this time before speaking. "We've already arranged for Emma's mother to give lessons at home."

"That would be best," Archie agreed. "Can we meet again next week? The three of us and we'll talk about anything you want, Alice."

"Okay," she answered. Sliding off of Regina's lap, she watched as Regina stood up as well to thank Archie for his time. After arranging the next meeting, she held on to Regina's hand as they left the clinic and headed for city hall.

* * *

The look on Emma's face was priceless as she reviewed Mulan's report from the weekend. "Let me get this straight, Mulan... you pulled over Archie for not buckling in Pongo, then you and Ruby chased down a drunk Leroy who was trying to steal Mushu... then there was a breakdancing gathering that Mother Superior complained about... you ticketed Sydney, learned how to shoot, played video games to learn how to drive... what the hell kind of weekend was this?"

Mulan shrugged, "I did not have any involvement in the arrangements of the weekend. I simply did my best to maintain peace as was instructed, Sheriff."

Emma sighed as she put down the report. Looking around on her desk, she frowned as she searched for her purchase order she'd left over the weekend. Her back was sore and she remembered the chair she wanted to ask for. Her plan was to bring Alice and Regina lunch so she could drop off the reports and get her purchase order signed. Lifting the stacks of papers, Emma's brow furrowed, trying to remember where she put it.

"Is there something missing, Sheriff?"

"I had a purchase order to replace my desk chair. I know I left it here on the desk."

Mulan reached into the waste bin and took out a piece of paper. The ink on it was smeared and it had clearly gotten wet and then dried in a crinkled fashion. "Is this what you are searching for?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at the page, "Yes... why is it all messed up?"

The dark haired deputy tilted her head slightly and let the page drop back into the bin. "I believe the phrase is 'Belle's ass was all up in that."

"No, they didn't... this is _my_ desk!" she exclaimed. Emma snatched her phone and dialed the number to Granny's. Ruby picked up right away, her voice was cheerful after the morning rush. "Ruby Lucas, you _did not_ have sex with Belle on my desk! Do you have any idea what's been on this desk?!"

Ruby laughed on the other end, "I'm sure your ass has been on it... we know Graham's was... clearly Regina's several times."

"I can't... no, just... _no, Ruby!_" Emma sighed and said goodbye to her friend before hanging up. "God damn it... I'll just have to write another one."

The station phone rang and Mulan moved to answer it. She snatched it up quickly as if it were some sort of strange creature, but remembered what Ruby taught her about answering the phone. "Storybrooke Sheriff station, this is Deputy Fa. Is this an emergency?" She nodded a few times as the caller spoke then thrust the phone out towards Emma. "Sheriff? There is some woman on the phone asking to speak with you."

"Who is it?"

"I do not know. She says her name is Barbara Johns. She is calling from Boston."

Emma sighed and picked up her extension, making sure the call was transferred before instructing Mulan to hang up. Her purchase order would have to wait a bit. "Emma Swan, Storybrooke Sheriff."

"Sheriff Swan?" the voice said cautiously.

"Yes?"

"Ah, yes... well, I apologize for the call. I'm sure you're quite busy." Emma rolled her eyes. This one was going to be a chatter. "My name is Barbara Johns. I heard about your search about a little girl named Alice from the Harvard Foster Children's outreach program. Do you have time to talk?"

Emma's jaw unhinged itself slightly. She pulled away from the phone for a moment to get Mulan's attention. "Mulan, can you do the patrol on your own? I'm going to work from the office this morning." The deputy nodded and snatched up her aviator glasses before Emma turned back to the phone. "I'm sorry. Go ahead, Mrs. Johns."

"Yes, of course. You see, I wanted to talk to you about the girl. She... well, I was her foster mother for a few months. I wanted to warn you," the woman said.

"Warn me?"

Barbara coughed lightly into the phone, "Yes. There is something very strange about that girl. She doesn't speak more than two or three words despite her age. We only discovered her name was Alice because that's all she would tell us at first. When we asked where she was from, she only said 'Wonderland.' My husband and I thought she was just being funny at the time. But she insisted on it. I took her to a psychiatrist, but it seemed she only wanted to draw and not participate in the treatment. But the things she draws, Sheriff... they're disturbing! Monsters and the sort. You'd think that the child was convinced she was the Alice from the Disney movie or something. You and I know that fairytales don't exist. So my husband and I thought maybe there was some mental problem with her. We couldn't handle it. That child is a handful. I hope you're not taking care of her, are you?"

Emma wanted to yell back at the woman on the phone. She ground her teeth hard, just to keep herself from putting her foot in her mouth. Her gut instinct was right. People outside didn't understand Alice, nor did they understand foster children with questionable backgrounds. Emma knew, she was one. Tears stung the back of her eyes and she felt her nails dig into the palm of her hand.

"Actually, I am." Emma answered sharply. "Were you her last family in the system?"

"Oh my, no. When my husband and I took her in, her record had already seen three other families. I don't know how many more she's been to since then. It seems they all have had the same problems we had. We just couldn't handle it, Sheriff. Taking care of that girl took away from the other children we fostered. It simply was not possible for us. You don't have any children, do you?"

The Sheriff was getting angrier by the minute. She hated families like this, that decided a kid with a history wasn't worth the trouble. "I have a son," Emma answered quietly. But the rage in her heart made her open her mouth again, "I gave up him for adoption years ago, but now I have him again and I'm dating his mother."

Barbara Johns coughed loudly in the phone. Emma smirked. It was as if she were punched in the gut with Emma's words. The sheriff was quite proud of herself, suddenly eager to tell Regina.

"Well... I do hope it works out for you then, Sheriff Swan. Just understand that you are living in sin and you are exposing your son and that girl to an unhealthy environment."

Emma snorted arrogantly. "Well, Mrs. Johns, thank you for your opinion but I believe we'll be just fine."

"You have no idea what the power of God is capable of," Barbara insisted. "I implore you to reconsider your choices. You sound like a smart woman."

"No, thank you. Barbara, you have no idea what I'm capable of... and you have _not_ encountered my partner or my family. So, let me thank you for your information. Have a good day." Without waiting for a response, Emma hung up the phone. She sighed loudly, "I can't stand those kinds of people." She reached for her cup of coffee and took a sip, glowering at the now cold beverage. "God damn it."

Emma kept the conversation she had with Barbara Johns to herself until way after dinner while she and Regina were getting ready for bed. Regina had taken the time that afternoon to make space in her closet for Emma's clothes and found that she enjoyed sharing the space with the Sheriff. It actually made her consider giving away some of the suits she found were out of fashion and not suited to her tastes any longer.

She walked out of the closet while she buttoned her favorite satin pajamas, tilting her head curiously at the blonde who sat at the edge of the mattress staring blankly at the wall.

"You've been unusually quiet, Emma. What's wrong?" She had told her girlfriend about the session with Archie. Emma was silently comforting as Regina retold the story of her childhood friend and how Alice reacted. "You're still not worried about Alice's therapy session, are you?"

"I got a call today from some woman who was Alice's foster mother for a little bit," Emma replied flatly. Regina sat next to her on the bed, wrapping one arm around Emma's waist. "She said she wanted to warn me."

"Warn you? About Alice?"

Emma nodded, "She insisted that Alice was a problem child and that we were 'living in sin.' I hate those kinda of people, Regina. The ones who think they know better than everyone else and try to tell you what you're doing is wrong."

Regina leaned her head against Emma's shoulder. "Do you think this is wrong?"

"No. Before I told you I was in love with you...I mean, it was kind of a shock to me. I was really confused. I had only fallen in love once and I got burned from that. Then when I realized I was in love with you, I was kind of scared that my parents wouldn't accept it and I'd lose them. I didn't know what to do. I really struggled with it at first, but then my dad said something I won't forget."

"Your father? I have a hard time fathoming that Prince Charming would say anything profound. What was it?" Regina chuckled slightly.

Emma smiled a little. She knew her father was a good person, despite his history with Regina. They had a tentative friendship before the curse broke and deep down, Regina had some respect for him. "I asked him if true love could make mistakes, you know? If Cupid screwed up somewhere and matched you with the wrong person. He said that true love is never wrong, that's what makes it true."

Regina was quiet for a moment before she leaned close and kissed Emma's cheek. "I think your father just earned a little bit more respect from me. But really, what did the woman want to warn you about?" They had drifted off the topic at hand and Regina was just as concerned about the little girl as much as she was about Emma's feelings.

"That was just the rambling of a woman who didn't really care about Alice. She said she was a handful and that she and her husband couldn't take care of a little girl with problems. I don't think Alice has problems. I think she has things that upset her and she copes the best way she can, which is probably why she doesn't speak and why she says she's from 'Wonderland.' That woman said Alice's record had her in three different families, that was before she was at that woman's home. I can kinda understand what she's going through."

"Three families and you say there may be more? That's no stable home for anyone!" Regina frowned as she stood up. She walked over to her side of the bed and pulled the covers back. Emma crawled into bed, burying herself under the sheets as Regina turned out the lights and curled up next to her. "Emma, let's make this her last family. Her real family."

Regina felt Emma's arms slip around her body, taking comfort in the warmth. "I want to do it all, Regina," the blonde muttered. "Family trips, school meetings, sports, dinners, birthdays, Christmas... I want to do all of it together. You, me, Henry and Alice. I don't know why, but ever since I picked up that kid from the woods, I don't want to let her go. What are we going to do if social services takes her away?"

"Then we're going to fight for her, Emma. I want to do all of those things, too. You know how I am. I will make deals with Rumplestiltskin if I have to, but I will _not_ let anyone take that child away from us." Regina said firmly.

Emma smiled, slowly slipping into the comfort of sleep. "My dad was right. True love is never wrong."

* * *

The spacious library in the mayoral mansion was Snow's classroom for the day. A rolling chalkboard had been brought in and she borrowed a small desk and chair from the school. Alice sat in front of her in the desk, scrunching her face at the math paper. It was well after lunch and Snow had spent the day reviewing first grade through third grade lessons. Alice breezed through art, literature, grammar, vocabulary and spelling. But when she got to mathematics, she struggled through multiplication and division, word problems confused her and she spent quite a bit of time on fractions. Snow hadn't even gone into science, social studies or geography.

Alice sighed in frustration and scratched at her head with her pencil, staring hard at the math problem. She read the problem aloud, trying to comprehend it. "There are 5 red pens in Emma's desk drawer. There are 5 more black pens than red pens. There are also 9 more blue pens than red pens. How many pens are there in all?" Alice sighed again, staring harder at the page as if it would become easier by doing so. Snow watched her carefully. She thought that maybe if she changed the names to people Alice knew, she'd have an easier time picturing the scene and working out the problem. That didn't seem to work as Alice wrote number after number on the side of the page before erasing it in frustration with the end of the pencil.

Snow crouched down beside the desk and looked at the paper with Alice, "Do you want to do it together?"

Alice shook her head, "No, I wanna do it, Gramma Snow."

"Okay," Snow said quietly as she stood up. She turned and headed towards the door, "I'll be right back, Alice. I think I heard one of your moms." Her voice broke slightly as she opened the door. Once the library door shut behind her, Snow sighed heavily and let the tears she was holding back merge with the large smile on her face.

The front door opened with a creak as Regina walked into the house, her heels clicking sharply on the tiled entryway. She looked up at Snow who was leaning against the library door. "What are you doing standing there? Aren't you supposed to be teaching Alice today?"

Snow's smile grew wider as she crossed the space between herself and Regina and took the woman's hands in her own, "She called me 'Gramma Snow!"

Regina snatched her hands away from her girlfriend's mother and headed towards the staircase. "I hate you," she muttered quietly.

"What's wrong, Regina? I thought we _wanted _her to be part of this family."

The Mayor turned slightly to glare at Snow. The woman cringed slightly under the all-too-familiar harsh gaze. Regina sneered, "We, Emma and I, want her as part of _our_ family. She's not a Charming. Yet you've managed to get into her good graces enough for her to call you 'Grandma' while she hasn't said anything to the effect of 'Mom' or 'Mother' to myself or Emma."

"I... Regina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean...I'm not trying to replace you or Emma. Maybe she's all right with saying 'Grandma' because we're not that close," Snow offered.

Being far too exhausted to argue any further, Regina continued up the steps. She stopped at the top and looked down at Snow White. "I don't want your sympathy, Snow. Or your excuses. Now, I'm going to get changed and start dinner. When I come down, I'd like for you to fill me in on Alice's academics."

Snow watched as Regina disappeared down the upstairs hallway towards the bedroom. She knew that coming to a civil relationship with Regina was a steep uphill climb. Every time she thought she reached a stable ground with the once Evil Queen, she always seemed to say or do something that made Regina upset with her. Snow sometimes felt like a child still, hoping to win the affections and adoration of the woman she looked up to. At the very least, she wanted Regina to accept her as a family member.

After returning to the library, she found that Alice was still trying to work through the same word problem. She had gone to the desk and taken out as many pens as possible and had them laid out on the desk. The paper underneath had boxes drawn on it where she kept the pens, labeled by color. Alice was clearly a visual thinker. If she couldn't conceptualize something in her head or see it, it seemed to be hard for her to understand or process. Snow let her continue, watching as the girl organized her thoughts by consciously counting the pens on the desk. When Alice finally wrote "34" on page, she smiled.

"All done, Alice?"

The girl looked up and frowned at Snow, "Why does Emma have to have so many pens?"

Snow blinked a few times with her mouth slightly opened, trying to process the bit of sass that came from Alice. She was most definitely taking after Regina. The petite woman chuckled, "I think Emma loses her pens a lot and Regina buys lots for her so she doesn't take Regina's." Snow gathered her notebooks and the textbooks she had brought along. "Why don't we call it a day?"

Alice frowned again, "But my worksheet isn't done."

"Henry and Regina are very good at mathematics. Why don't you ask them for help tonight and we'll go over it tomorrow. For now, your mom is starting dinner and you should probably go get washed up," Snow instructed. Alice nodded. She put away her pencils and pens, ensuring that the desk was neat and tidy before rushing upstairs to get cleaned up. The house was beginning to fill with the scent of dinner. Whatever it may be, Alice was excited. Since she was brought to this house, she didn't miss a single meal. Which was quite unusual for the child.

Snow found Regina in the kitchen, sipping a glass of wine and tending to a boiling pot of potatoes. She smiled softly as she approached the kitchen island. "Smells good in here, Regina."

The mayor turned slightly and rolled her eyes before setting her wine glass down, "You're not here to discuss my cooking, we're supposed to discuss Alice's academics."

"Can we _please_ have a conversation without one of us snapping at the other, Regina? For goodness sakes, all I've ever wanted was for you to be a part of my family," Snow sighed in frustration. She sat down on a barstool. A moment later, a glass full of dark purple colored wine was set in front of her.

"I... am sorry, Snow," Regina said slowly. "I've had a lot on my mind lately. I didn't mean to snap at you this time." She sipped at her wine, looking over her shoulder briefly to check the potatoes. "How is Alice?"

The deep purple wine was something Snow hadn't been accustomed to. She liked her wine mildly sweet and easy to drink, like some bright red pinot noir or a riesling. Regina always seemed to pour excessively heavy red wines that Snow almost wondered if her lipstick was as dark as it appeared or if it were actually the wine.

"Well, we already know her artistic skill is above average. Reading comprehension is equally amazing. She writes very well for a child her age, but her linguistics abilities are below standard. I feel that her unstable home life previously is taking quite a bit out of her education. She is barely able to process second grade information when she should be preparing for fourth grade at her age," Snow reported.

"I don't want her to stop her lessons until she's out of our care. Do you mind continuing with her, Snow? I know it can't be every day." Regina stared into her nearly empty wine glass and frowned.

"Don't worry, Regina. I've already made arrangements with the school. I'll do home lessons with Alice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Is that all right with you? I'm sorry I couldn't get a more flexible schedule." Snow offered a small smile to the woman beside her. Regina's face contorted in contemplation for a brief moment before she smiled and nodded. There were rare occasions, small quiet briefs wisps of time, where Regina and Snow would meet eye to eye and not feel the weight of their years spent fighting. Perhaps it was another one of the side effects of Emma Swan, but in those tiny fleeting moments, Regina understood contentment, Snow breathed an air of true peace in her heart.

The front door burst open with such gusto that it could be heard in the kitchen. Snow and Regina jumped in surprise, accidentally knocking over Snow's wine glass. The vessel itself didn't break, but the dark reddish purple wine spread across the counter and dripped off the counter like tiny garnets or drops of blood.

Henry and Emma came to a screeching halt at the entry of the kitchen, watching Regina and Snow try to mop up the spilled wine with kitchen towels. They looked up at Emma and Henry before glancing back each other and bursting into laughter. Neither was sure what was so funny, but somehow their hearts felt lighter. Emma raised her eyebrow curiously before she turned to her son. "Umm... Henry? Let's go upstairs and change... We'll leave the crazies to clean the kitchen." As if Emma's comment contained a world of hilarity, Regina and Snow continued their cleaning while trying to calm their laughter, enjoying the atmosphere while it would last.

* * *

"Let's go camping!" Emma said suddenly after dinner. She was busy picking up the plates while Henry helped Alice with her worksheet that Snow left. Regina sat in her usual seat at the dinner table, sipping her wine.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina looked up at Emma curiously, wondering where this strange outburst had come from.

Henry raised his head and grinned. He and Emma had planned this. They wanted to go camping and knew that Regina would be against it. So they decided the best time to bring it up would be after dinner when she's had a few glasses of wine.

"It'll be fun, Mom," Henry insisted.

Regina frowned at her son. She wasn't so oblivious to his attempts to get her to do what he wanted. The boy had become quite adept at it growing up, quickly figuring out just how to get his way with her. He smiled at her brightly, knowing that his infectious smile was a particular weak spot of hers. When she glanced up at Emma, the blonde was wearing the same hopeful smile. Regina sighed, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

The smiles on Henry and Emma's faces fell. "Why not?!" they whined together.

"It's dangerous and think of all the disgusting things out there. You could get hurt or bitten by some poisonous creature," Regina argued.

"We'll camp out in the backyard!" Emma suggested. "It's big enough and totally safe. Come on, Regina. You and me, under the stars, curled up under a sleeping bag."

"You expect me to sleep on the ground?" Regina eyed her girlfriend skeptically. "Well, I suppose the backyard would be fine..."

Henry whispered something to Alice and the girl nodded excitedly. They looked up at her together with expectant smiles. "Please, Mom?"

Emma tried her hardest to hide her grin. It was a devious trick, but it was clear that it worked against Regina. Wanting to be Alice's parents was one thing, but to hear the child actually say "Mom" tore away all of Regina's resolve.

"Oh all right," she sighed. "But you three are on your own. When do you plan on doing this?"

"Tonight!" they answered excitedly.

Emma laughed, "Henry, why don't you and Alice go in the garage and get the tent and sleeping bags. I'll set up the yard and set up the fire pit."

The children jumped up from their chairs with glee, hurrying to the garage. "No running!" Regina scolded after them. She smiled softly as Emma walked across the room to her. "You're spoiling them."

"It's harmless fun. Besides, this is for me just as much as it's for them. I don't care what anyone thinks about this family. It's mine and I'm gonna make sure we do all the things I didn't get to as a kid. You should join us, babe." Emma grinned.

"Don't get your hopes up, dear. I like the bed. I'm not sleeping on the ground."

The Sheriff rolled her eyes before leaning forward to kiss Regina softly on her lips, "Of course, Your Majesty."

* * *

Setting up the yard and building a fire pit hardly took any time at all. Emma cleared out a patch of dirt that was meant to be a planter for hydrangeas, which Regina hadn't gotten around to planting. Although Regina had refused to get herself dirty and join them, she found herself peering through the bedroom window to see Emma in front of the fire with Alice in her lap and Henry beside her. The blonde's hands were waving in the air as she told some story, to which the children responded with fits of giggles. Regina smiled to herself and shook her head. Despite what she thought about Emma's parenting methods, she did admit that the blonde's carefree leadership was what Henry needed once in awhile to keep him grounded.

"Well, at least I can have some peace and quiet tonight," she muttered to herself. Regina climbed into bed with a book, her small framed reading glasses sitting on her nose. She opened the book where she had left her marker, though the last time she actually picked up the novel was gone from her memory. Since Emma became a frequent guest in her bedroom, her nightly ritual of reading a chapter before going to sleep was long since absent. Although she was enjoying the quiet, she was quickly realizing how much she had grown accustomed to Emma's presence. The bedroom suddenly felt lonely without her, even though the Sheriff was out in the yard.

Regina hardly read through the first paragraph when the light hearted giggles from the backyard drifted towards her window. She tilted her head curiously, hoping to hear what they were laughing about, but the sounds died off. Shaking her head again, she returned her attention to her book.

Halfway through the page, a high pitched shriek echoed from the yard. Regina frantically jumped up from the bed and snatched her robe, nearly flying down the stairs to the back door. She came stalking through the grass to where Emma, Alice and Henry sat around the fire. She felt the cold moisture of the grass seep into the hem of her pajama pants as she approached them.

"Just what in the world is going on here?!" she hissed. "We have neighbors, you know!"

Emma looked up and smiled, "Hey, gorgeous. Decided to join us?"

"I came to see what's going on! I can hardly read with all the noise you three are making!" Regina folded her arms across her chest, scowling down at them.

Alice laughed, "Emma told us a story about a pirate who's afraid of books! It was really funny!" Henry snickered as well, knowing that Emma's story was about Killian Jones.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend. Emma shrugged, "What? It was the best I could come up with at this hour. Come on, I bet you've got some great stories, Gina." The blonde pulled off her jacket and set it down on the ground next to her. With a huff, Regina sat down, tucking her legs beneath her. Henry and Alice cheered.

"I hardly think I know any stories that you don't already know," Regina smirked. "They're all the same ones from Henry's book."

Emma shrugged, "Hm... we haven't done any scary stories."

"Do you really think that's a good idea, Emma? It's a school night. What if the children can't sleep?"

"I can handle it, Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore," Henry pouted. "You're okay too, right Alice?"

Alice looked up at Emma, then to Regina. She didn't like scary stories, but she didn't want to stop the fun. Emma smiled down at her before tousling the girl's hair. She smiled back at the blonde woman. Be it scary stories or nightmares, she knew she'd be okay because Emma and Regina were there. Regina promised that nothing would happen to her and Alice wanted desperately to believe it. "Yeah," she said finally. "I'm okay."

Regina sighed, "All right, if you insist. Let's see... Once upon a time there was an evil fairy."

"There's no evil fairies in Storybrooke, Mom." Henry said excitedly.

"Henry, don't interrupt," Emma scolded her son lightly. The boy pouted and scooted closer to Regina's side.

She smirked and put her arm around him before continuing the story, "No, you're right. There aren't any. This evil fairy was from another land. She was in possession of a very powerful curse. A curse so strong, it could rip worlds apart. But another powerful sorcerer came along and took the fairy's power, turning her into a beast and locking her in the darkest catacombs of a castle. Now, Storybrooke sits right above where that castle used to stand. The beast was hidden, deep below the library where Belle works. One day, a brave Knight came and destroyed the beast, taking its power to save the town. But no one knew quite how powerful the evil fairy was. Sometimes, if you're very quite in the library, you can hear her laughing, waiting to take her revenge."

Henry folded his arms. "That's not scary, Mom. I've heard the laughing before. It's 'cause the library is close enough to Granny's and when you hear the laughter, it's cause Granny Lucas is watching _Golden Girls_ while Ruby is out."

"I gotta admit, Gina, that wasn't that good. It's like... half true and half made up," Emma laughed.

The Mayor scoffed arrogantly, "Oh really? I'd like to see you come up with something better, Miss Swan."

Emma grinned as she wrapped her arms around Alice, "You asked for it. Are you guys ready for this?" Henry cheered, watching Emma eagerly in the firelight while Alice clutched onto Emma's arm for security. "Okay... so this happened while I was in New Orleans. See, down there, they've got lots of weird things like voodoo and witchcraft. They even say that real vampires are in New Orleans. There's a ton of ghosts in New Orleans, lost souls that wander the swamps at night. Now I don't usually believe in these kinds of things. But after living here in Storybrooke, I'm not sure what to believe anymore.

"I was chasing after this bounty, some guy who skipped out of Boston with a warrant on him. I tracked him down to the French Quarter of New Orleans and cornered him in a bar. He was talking to some pretty dark haired woman. I didn't want to get his attention just yet, so I asked the bartender about her. But he said he didn't see anyone. Sure enough, she was gone and so was my target. I ran out of the bar looking for him, but he was long gone. The woman was there, though. She saw me and walked up to me on the sidewalk. All she said was 'Sweet Dreams, Miss Swan,' before she walked away."

Regina frowned, "Do you normally pick up on random women while you were doing that degrading job?"

Emma's hands flew up defensively, "No way! I didn't go up to her, she came up to me! Just let me finish my story, Gina." Alice sank further into Emma's lap, pulling the woman's arm around her again. Emma chuckled slightly, "Anyways, I was totally confused. I had no idea how she knew my name or why she said that. So I went back to the bartender and asked him about it. He said she wasn't real. He didn't see her, but there were plenty of stories about mysterious people appearing all over town. She was what they called a _dreamwalker._ Dreamwalkers are people from other worlds who visit ours while they're dreaming. Sometimes they're just curious about us, like they just wanna see what we're about. Other times, though... they're evil. In New Orleans, they say when people mysteriously disappear, it's cause a dreamwalker took them. Don't know where they take them, but if people do come back... they don't always come back in one piece."

A piece of wood popped loudly, causing the entire family to jump up and yelp. Regina huffed as she readjusted herself on Emma's jacket. "Really, Emma... was that all? Some story about a random woman you spoke to in New Orleans?"

Henry laughed nervously, "Yeah, Ma... wasn't that scary, you know."

"Oh, excuuuuse me, tough guy." Emma looked at her watch, "All right, time for bed. It's getting late and tomorrow's only Wednesday."

"But it's a half day," Henry argued, not willing to admit that he was too scared to sleep. "Alice, you're not scared, are you?"

"That was... kinda scary," she admitted quietly.

Henry puffed out his chest. He had said that he wasn't a kid and that he wasn't scared, so he definitely wouldn't let his moms see it. "You can sleep with me, Alice. We'll put the sleeping bags together." They both got up together and hurried to the tent.

The tent itself was quite large with three room, separated by a thin tarp. Henry and Alice shuffled around, pushing their air mattresses together and arranging the sleeping bags. Emma chuckled as she kicked dirt onto the fire.

"Are you going back inside, babe?" she asked as Regina stood up with Emma's jacket in her hands.

"I... um... I may stay out here a bit with you. I think the kids are a bit more frightened than they're willing to admit," she answered nervously. The chill of the night air pierced her satin pajamas once the fire was out.

Emma's warm arms slipped around Regina's waist as the blonde pressed her body against her back. Regina sighed softly at the warmth. "I knew you couldn't resist coming out here."

"Hmph. I'd have been warm in the bedroom if you three weren't making so much noise earlier." She pulled away from the Sheriff to stand by the tent. Emma tilted her head curiously, waiting to see if Regina would crawl in. "Well, are you coming or not?"

"Yes, ma'am," Emma replied with a smirk. She climbed into the tent and laid down on the queen sized air mattress. The blonde anticipated her girlfriend joining her, so she had set up the mattress with enough pillows and blankets to rival their bed. Regina crawled into the mess of blankets and curled up against Emma, allowing her body to warm up underneath the covers. "See? Not so bad."

Regina huffed again as she rested her head on Emma's shoulder, allowing her girlfriend to wrap her arms tightly around her shoulders and waist. She felt a soft kiss on her forehead as Regina sighed. "It's cold out here," she complained.

"Give it a bit of time, you'll warm up. I'm right here," Emma chuckled. "Come on, admit it. You were a little creeped out by my story."

"Don't flatter yourself, Miss Swan. Supernatural spirits taking people away? In this world? We may have had magic here in Storybrooke, but outside of this town, I find it hard to believe."

She felt Emma shrug slightly. A still silence fell between them as their breath mingled in the night air. The more Emma thought about her own tale, the more it creeped her out. She suddenly remembered the woman's words, "_Sweet Dreams, Miss Swan._" To this day, she had no idea what the woman was talking about, but it did weird her out. The strange feeling that someone was watching her behind her back or following her was starting to creep through her spine. The tent was beginning to feel like a weak substitute for the comfort of the bedroom walls. Even with Regina in her arms, Emma was starting to feel terrified of the darkness surrounding them.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina's voice was lowered to a whisper in the darkness, but the slight trembling of Emma's body was as clear as day. She didn't want to admit it, but Emma's story had creeped her out as well. Her fear was much more real. She had heard briefly about dreamwalkers from her mother when she was a child. Regina had forgotten about it until now, but the fear her mother instilled in her about the mysterious travelers was easing its way into her consciousness. The difference between Emma's arbitrary fears and Regina's was that she had seen it, at least once. There were things that she had seen, just by being near magic.

"I'm fine," Emma whispered back, her voice quivering slightly. "It's... it's just cold."

"You scared yourself, didn't you?"

"You're scared, too. You're shaking."

Regina chuckled, "It's cold out here." They paused, realizing the silliness of their fear. After a moment, they burst into quite giggles, like teenage girls laughing about some hilarious random thing. Regina sighed, "You're an idiot."

"You love it," came the amused response, followed by a yawn. "Good night, Regina."

The mayor smiled to herself as she softly breathed in Emma's scent and kissed her collarbone. "Good night, dear." Despite the comfort they found in each other's arms, sleep came to them with the uneasiness of fear, carried by the unknowns in the darkness. Eyes shut tight against the night, neither woman saw the glow of Emma's phone as it lit up silently with a message from Ruby.

* * *

Ruby sat on the couch of the living room in the apartment suite she shared with Belle above the Inn. She was leaning comfortably against her girlfriend who was curled up in the corner of the couch with a book. She was scrolling through websites, looking through pages and pages of official looking documents. Belle peered out over her book at Ruby's screen.

"You've been at that for hours. What are you doing?" Belle asked.

"Umm... Research for Emma. Mulan's surprisingly quick with computers, so she and I are going through the foster system records for information about Alice," Ruby answered.

"_You hacked into government files?!" _Belle screeched. "Ruby, what if you get caught?!"

"Relax. We put up all the possible protections on our computers to avoid detection. It's safer than going to Gold for help. We weren't finding anything."

Belle scowled. She adored Ruby but there were times that the wolf-girl's recklessness drove her mad. But she knew that once Ruby was on the "hunt" for something, there was no stopping her. The librarian sighed, "Did you find anything?"

"Not yet," Ruby shrugged. "There's a lot of girls named Alice and we don't have a last name for her.. On top of that, not all of these files have pictures." She rubbed her eyes from the strain of staring at the screen. She clicked on another page, feeling tired of looking through the files.

"Just be careful, Ruby. I don't want to have to bail you out of some county jail for hacking."

Ruby grinned and tilted her head back, looking up at Belle with puppy eyes. Belle giggled and kissed her forehead before turning back to her book. Ruby averted her attention back to the screen to focus on the file in front of her. "Wait...I think I found it!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Seriously?" Belle put down her book and turned to look over Ruby's shoulder.

"Let's see... Alice Chessyre... Originally from Hertfordshire, England. It says her mother died and father died... they were living in Waterbury, Connecticut. Looks like he was a psychology professor or something," Ruby mumbled as she read through the file. "Oh jesus... her father died when she was.. I guess six. This file's at least three years old, but it looks like it's been updated quite a bit. No extended family, she's an only child."

Belle gasped, "Oh my god, that's terrible!"

"It gets worse... she's been through six different families. She was removed from two for abuse or neglect... the other four... none of them lasted more than a few months. All the notes say that she's mentally disturbed." Ruby frowned, "This sounds like Alice, but it doesn't. The times I've seen her, she's a sweet little girl."

Grazing her "Doctor Whale said he saw Regina and Alice at the grocery store awhile ago and the girl freaked out when Jefferson came to say hello. The incident has kind of been floating around town, but no one's really saying anything because... well, it's Regina, after all. You know how she is."

"Trust me, it's a thousand times better than how she was. I actually like her and I gotta admit, she's a pretty good mom to those kids. Besides, it's really cute watching them," the wolf girl chuckled. "I gotta let Emma and Mulan know I found something... or, that I think I found something. But, I really hope that Alice gets to stay here. That whole family has changed since she showed up and they're getting pretty attached. I'd hate to see what would happen if she had to go back to another family somewhere else."

Belle nodded and kissed Ruby's cheek before getting up. "Don't stay up too late, Rubes."

"Says the woman who stays up until sunrise reading," Ruby smirked. Belle rolled her eyes before disappearing into the bedroom. Ruby saved the information on the screen to a USB drive before backing out of the crack she had used to get into the system, making sure she covered up any tracks. She knew they probably could have waited for social services to get back to them and provide Emma the information that they needed, but it was taking too long and they were getting impatient. If Alice's foster family was really searching for her, then they ran the risk of Regina or Emma being accused of kidnapping.

Ruby shook her head. She hated this world's stupid rules and laws, although she loved the conveniences, her car, the food and definitely the clothes, compared to the Enchanted Forest. But she wished things were simpler; right and wrong, good and evil. But things weren't that simple and the questionable areas were much more real in this world.

She picked up her phone and texted Emma, hoping the Sheriff would receive the message: _Emma, think I found Alice's foster record. Will bring the file to the station tomorrow. _Once the message was sent, Ruby closed her laptop and shoved her phone in her pocket before retreating to the bedroom for a good night's sleep.

* * *

**_Name: _**_Alice Diana Chesshyre_

**_Parents: _**_William Chesshyre (deceased), Dinah Chesshyre (deceased)_

**_Extended family: _**_No record_

**_Birthdate: _**_January 14_

**_Approximate age: _**_6_

**_Birthplace: _**_Hertfordshire, UK_

**_Last Address: _**_1865 Dodgson Road, Waterbury, CT_

**_Social Worker: _**_Justine Reyes_

**_Social Worker's Notes: _**_Child admitted into system after death of father on January 27 - pneumonia. 1 month in Waterbury Orphanage. _

_Assigned to Rosetti family, Boston Mass. **3 month follow up - Alice is not adjusting well. Will not speak to family, Rosettis report disobedience. Reassigned due to incompatibility. See detailed file._

_Reassignment: Cameron family, Toledo, Ohio. **1 month removal notice - child removed from family due to abuse issues with foster mother. Claims to have been from 'Wonderland.' Child shows attachment to the Alice in Wonderland story. Otherwise unresponsive. _

_Reassigned to Parker family, Corpus Christi, TX. **3 month follow up - Alice still uncooperative and despondent. Responds well to art projects and likes to read. Child shows exceptional ability in art in various media: clay, paints, and pencil art. However, she is still unresponsive. **6 month follow up - Family took in two other foster children. Alice has been reported as unresponsive and uncooperative. Reassigned due to incompatibility with family and other children. _

_Assigned to Gilford family, Baton Rouge, LA. **3 month follow up - Family struggling with Alice's inability to communicate. Conflicts with other children. _

_Reassigned to Johns family, Baltimore, MD. **3 month follow up - same issues as above: unresponsiveness, does not get along with other children._

_Reassigned to Lewiston family, Rochester, NY. **2 month removal notice - removed due to physical and verbal abuse issues with foster parents. Family removed from foster system approval list. _

_-Alice has been moved to Portland Orphanage, Maine. Currently in mental evaluation. Not recommended to be placed with other children or in homes with other children. Alice is very withdrawn and suffers from bullying due to her selective communication. _

* * *

_**AN: Honestly, I made myself sad writing this. Tell me what you guys think! Keep the reviews coming, dears!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_Note: I don't own any of the Once Upon a Time characters._**

_**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. Alice becomes much more developed as I continue to write this. I apologize for the long breaks between updates. I really wanted a lot out of this chapter, so it took quite a bit of time to put my thoughts together for this. **_

_**Also, if you haven't done so already, please read "I'll Make a Deputy Out of You" by Apple Lani for the misadventures of Deputy Mulan Fa.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**_Like Shattered Glass_**

"Is this it?" Emma asked as she looked up from the computer screen. Ruby nodded slowly. "I don't get it. All of these notes from the social worker say that she's uncooperative and doesn't get along with other children. Alice gets along with Henry just fine. She's incredibly obedient. I mean, shit, I've never seen a kid who cleans up after herself _and curtsies! _No one does that anymore!"

Ruby perched herself on Emma's desk while Mulan leaned in the uncomfortable office chair. "That's why I'm confused, too. It sounds like Alice, but it doesn't. All I really had to go on was the part that said she claims she's from Wonderland and the art thing."

"I trust you shall do the right thing and report this, Sheriff?" Mulan asked.

Emma and Ruby turned to face Mulan. The warrior's face was deadpan serious. The Sheriff frowned as she considered Mulan's suggestion. She knew she would have to report it. Or someone would have to. Emma wasn't sure she had the heart to do it. Reporting that Alice was in Storybrooke would increase the chances of her being taken away and that was the last thing she wanted.

"I just want to do more research first... don't mention any of this to Regina. It'll just upset her. She's really attached to Alice and this stuff," she said as she indicated the screen, "It's not going to make it any easier if they do have to take her back to Portland."

Ruby hopped off the desk. "We're here for you if you need our help, Em."

"Thanks, Ruby. You too, Mulan. Oh, don't say anything to my parents either. My mom is kind of a gossip and I don't want her blowing this out of proportion."

Mulan folded her arms and frowned, "That is dishonest, Sheriff. I do not approve of this. It is important to divulge information to the Mayor as she is your partner. It is dishonorable to not be honest with your parents. They are your family."

"I know that, Mulan," Emna sighed. "But sometimes it's just as important to keep things from them that would hurt them. I'm already depressed about this. I don't want Regina to have to see this."

"She will see it in your eyes, Sheriff. I have seen you and the Mayor interact. You communicate best with the way you look at her and she seems to understand." Mulan stood up from her seat and yanked her sunglasses out of her breast pocket. "It is dishonorable. I had believed that you were the Savior. You are a hero in the eyes of the people of Storybrooke. Heroes are not dishonorable. I will respect your wishes, Sheriff. But I do believe that you are bringing dishonor into your home. I do not want to see my friends hurt." She stalked out of the office with a grimace.

"Mulan, where are you going?" Ruby shouted after her, hurrying to catch up.

"It is time for my patrol," the raven haired warrior answered as she paused at the door. "It is unwise to slack in my duties although my superior is distracted."

Ruby sighed. She understood what Emma needed, but she was partially in agreement with Mulan. Torn between her friends, she hurried back to Emma's office. "I'll try to talk some sense into her, Em. Try not to worry so much. I'll catch up with you later."

"Thanks, Ruby." Emma watched as Ruby left to catch up with Mulan. She sighed heavily and looked back at the screen. "This is so messed up."

The Sheriff leaned back in her seat, still slightly irritated about her chair. But after reading Alice's report, the chair seemed like a minuscule issue. She felt slightly envious that Alice had at least grown up with her father. Emma spent her entire childhood without either of her parents. Her heart ached, knowing that Alice would never be reunited with her parents like she did. Emma was essentially happy. She had her parents, her son and someone she loved so completely that she felt like she never needed anything else as long as she had them. But it didn't soothe the heartbreak she felt for Alice. The child had grown on her in the short time she had been with them. It hadn't even been two weeks but Alice had worked her way into their hearts and Emma couldn't picture her family without the small girl.

Throughly depressed, Emma lazily scrolled up and down on the screen. She had read the report several times and was convinced that Ruby had found the correct file. A piece of her wished that it was wrong. That the report in front of her wasn't Alice's and that the child didn't have such a painful past.

Emma picked up her phone and opened a text to Regina. Face scrunched up in determination, she began typing.

_Let's register to adopt Alice._

Regina's text came back quickly. The Mayor was likely in her office with Alice, whittling the day away with reports and delegations.

**_Are you serious? _**

_Yes. I don't want to break up this family. I love you, Regina. I love our son and I love Alice. You guys are my family and I don't want to lose any of you._

**_I feel like you just proposed._**

_Huh?! Well...I didn't really think of it that way..._

**_I'm teasing you. I like your idea. Someone is probably going to come and evaluate us to see if we're a stable home._**

_No problem. We both have solid, secure jobs, Henry is a pretty smart kid and there's no way they can say we're not a good family._

**_You're right. I'll send the application today. I love you, Emma._**

_Love you, too, Gina. See you later._

Emma put down her phone and sighed. "Marriage? To Regina Mills?" she muttered to herself. The thought had crossed her mind a few times before but she never felt like she was ready to really consider it. With just Henry, it wasn't a necessary thing to consider. He was used to his moms being together and he understood the nuances of their relationship. But things were different with Alice to consider.

A small smile crept up on her face as she pictured Regina in a wedding dress. The woman was naturally stunning, but the thought of her in a pure white gown was nearly mind blowing. The more she thought about, the more the image of their wedding became a vivid picture in her mind. Her heart was in it, but her gut still told Emma to be hesitant. She sighed again. The morning had far too many things running in her mind. She lightly bumped her head on the desk in front of the keyboard, as if it would jostle the things swimming in her brain.

Emma lifted her head. Her body felt as heavy as her heart. Suddenly her eyes focused on something that she didn't notice before. Perhaps it was the benefit of looking away from the screen for awhile or perhaps it was one of those things that you wouldn't really notice right away. At the very bottom of Alice's report was a linked file. She maneuvered the mouse over the blue lettering and clicked on it. Another file popped up on the screen. Emma shook her head. How could she have missed it? Ruby hadn't noticed it either. Maybe they had brushed it off as a contact link or information link, one of those things stuck at the bottom of web pages that no one really notices. Emma realized that it was a link to an encrypted file attached to the report. The document was watermarked with 'confidential' across the page. She narrowed her eyes at the scanned report and the poor penmanship.

**_Name: Alice D. Chesshyre_**

**_Social Worker: Justine Reyes_**

**_Child Psychologist: Dr. Estella Bauscher, PhD._**

_"Alice displays an elective response to everyone. She often stares into space. It is difficult to produce an accurate evaluation due to her desire to be uncooperative. It is clear that her foster parents are having difficulty dealing with her and the nature of her behavior. She does not act out. She simply does not respond to anything._

_Historical information from her social worker: Alice was born in Hertfordshire, UK. Her father was a trauma psychologist. The mother passed away in the UK, less than a year after Alice was born. Dr. Chesshyre, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, relocated after his wife's death. Dr. Chesshyre passed away recently due to pneumonia after refusing to seek medical attention in order to stay at home with his daughter. Alice has a history of vivid, odd dreams which her father had recorded in a notebook for study. _

_Alice shows an exceptional artistic ability. Within this evaluation, I feel that she has the potential to be a child prodigy in art, however her lack of communication will greatly hinder her ability. She was given a pencil and a piece of paper, in which I asked her to draw a picture of anything she wanted. Although she was able to draw an image in great detail, there is concern that her art is very violent. See attached image. The piece she created consists of dark, angry lines and violent scenes. This image is of a thin woman in a gown with decapitated heads at her feet. Alice wrote "The Queen of Hearts" at the bottom of the image. _

_Alice displays an attachment to the Alice in Wonderland story and seems to use that as her personal background. While she is selectively mute, she does offer her name when asked. _

_I have diagnosed Alice Chesshyre with Social Anxiety Disorder, a likely result of her father's passing._

_Information regarding Alice's history is subjective as all information has been received from the long time employed maid, Maureen Downing. Ms. Downing has since been deported back to the UK as her employer is deceased._

**_Name: Alice Chesshyre_**

**_Social Worker: Justine Reyes_**

**_Child Psychologist: Dr. Edgar Young, PhD._**

_"In consideration of Alice Chesshyre's previous evaluation by Dr. Bauscher, performed over 18 months ago, there has been no improvement to Alice's S.A.D. Her attachment to the Alice in Wonderland fictional tale is quite persistent. When asked where she is from, her response is "Wonderland." Alice does not give more information than just her name and "Wonderland." The child is delusional in assuming that she is "Alice" from the tale. This is likely a coping method in response the death of her father, although it has been over a year since his death._

_Due to her S.A.D, she has suffered from bullying from other children. It is recommended that Alice is not placed in an environment with other children for her safety. Foster families should be evaluated prior to placement. It is in my professional opinion that Alice be classified as Special Needs._

Emma glared at the screen. "She's not special needs, you morons." The Sheriff shook her head. "I bet these idiot doctors didn't do anything to even try to communicate with her. These guys are total idiots. She speaks to us just fine." Emma felt the anger and frustration welling up in her stomach. She wanted to scream at the computer, as if it would convey her irritation to the doctors who wrote the evaluations. She searched the rest of the files for a link to the image that was supposed to be scanned. Finding it linked to the evaluation, it came up as a damaged file. Emma sneered at it with irritation.

She printed out the reports and evaluations to put together a small file on Alice. For records sake, she needed to keep the information available. But Emma knew that despite how much she and Regina wanted Alice to be their daughter, there were necessary steps that needed to be taken in order to make it legal. The biggest fear in Emma's heart was that Alice would be taken back by the State of Maine and she knew it would break Regina and herself.

* * *

Regina set her phone down on the desk. She was caught somewhere between feeling frustrated and feeling giddy after Emma's texts. She was happy that the Sheriff wanted to be Alice's parents, but her response to Regina's suggestion about marriage was a bit disheartening. The last time the Mayor wanted to be married, her new fiancée was cruelly ripped away from her by her heartless mother. Her only marriage had been a loveless one. Although it gave her status and made her Queen, it did nothing to soothe the emptiness she felt. Emma filled that gap, but her reluctance to move their relationship forward was a constant thorn in Regina's heart.

She shook her head to refocus herself back on her work. Alice had come with her to the office today and was buried deep in the pages of_ House of Many Ways_. Regina smiled to herself, impressed that the girl was such an intense reader. She had long since finished reading the fairy tale book she borrowed from Henry and was now in the third volume of the _Howl's Moving Castle _series. The young girl sat quite content on the baroque couch, swinging her legs as she read her book.

Regina's desk phone rang quite loudly, bringing her attention back to work. With a slightly irritated sigh, she picked up the phone. "Regina Mills," she said cordially.

The happy voice on the other end made the woman smile and wince at the same time. "Regina, darling, it's Mommy. How are you, my love?"

"Mother..." Regina said dryly. "Where in the world have you been? It's well over a month and you haven't even bothered to call!"

Cora Mills chuckled on the other end of the phone. Bongos and steel drums could be heard in the background along with merry laughter. "Dearest, it's been absolutely amazing. South America is just wonderful. Peru, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Cuba... oh, Regina, you'd love it down here! Especially these Latin men, I'm sure there's a delightful thing here for you."

"Let's not get into this, you know I'm with Emma."

"Oh, right... _the Savior_..." Cora spat into the phone. She had disapproved when Emma and Regina took her magic, she disapproved even more when her daughter admitted to being in love with the Charmings' girl. It still left a sour taste in her mouth and Cora was sure she could find someone better for her daughter. A doctor or politician or businessman, anything other than that clumsy blonde Sheriff. "I'll turn her into a real swan for you, darling. I'm sure she'd be a precious thing in the back yard. I'll even build a pond for her! With my own two hands! Then you and Henry can come with me to Puerto Rico again and I'll set you up with this delicious rumba instructor."

Regina sighed, "Mother, you can't turn Emma into a swan. Besides, it's not just Henry and I anymore. I..." she paused, looking up at Alice. The girl was still buried in her book, too engrossed in the words and the world it wove to really hear the woman's conversation. "Emma and I took in a little girl and we're planning to become her parents."

Cora's end of the phone went silent for a moment. Regina pulled the receiver away from her face and frowned slightly, wondering if she had lost contact. Yes, Cora was aggravating and she had spent most of her life trying to control everything, but Regina still cared for her. She made a promise to her daughter to allow her magic to be taken if it meant she could stay in Storybrooke and try to rebuild her relationship with Regina. Although the Mayor was hesitant at first, she finally gave in despite the protests from Emma and her parents. Cora had done her best to prove them wrong, even if she disliked them. At the most, Cora was a brazen addition to Storybrooke, but her attendance was almost non-existent after she discovered vacation tours and senior cruises.

"Mother? Are you still there?"

A sharp gasp came through the phone. "I have a _granddaughter?!_"

"Well, not yet... not quite, I mean. She's staying with us for now," Regina said slowly.

Cora seemed to grin audibly on the phone. "I have some time and I do miss you. I want to hear everything about her."

Regina leaned back in her chair. "Well, her name is Alice. She's about nine and she's just the sweetest little girl ever, Mother. When Emma brought her home, she was so quiet but she's really opened up. Snow is giving her home lessons to see where her education is at and she loves helping me in the kitchen. She's got beautiful blonde hair and these bright blue eyes and the most adorable smile."

"Blonde hair, blue eyes... is she Emma's daughter? Did that woman have another child that she gave up?" Cora huffed.

"No, Mother. She's not Emma's. Not yet, anyways."

"Well, she sounds absolutely adorable. Oh! I bought Henry this flute from Peru and I found some delicious Cuban coffee for you. I know just the thing for... her name was Alice, yes?"

"Yes, Mother."

Cora giggled. "Oh, she'll just love it. I want to keep it as a surprise though! I'm so excited. I can't wait to come home and see you and the children, dear."

"When _are_ you coming home, Mother?" Regina leaned the phone against her ear and her shoulder and folded her arms.

"I've got a few more days here in Puerto Rico before I head off to Jamaica. I'm already booked for a short tour in Mexico, then I'll be home. Do you miss me already?" Cora asked sweetly.

"I just need to prepare the town for your return. It's been wonderfully quiet without you here."

"That's mean, Regina. I've done nothing but be an upstanding citizen." Regina rolled her eyes at her mother's claims. Cora hadn't gotten into any trouble, that didn't mean that the townsfolk were welcoming her with open arms. "Oh, I have to go now dear. They're giving us _pasteles _and _piña coladas _and this delightful Puerto Rican rum! Take care, darling. Tell the children I said hello."

Regina smirked, "What about Emma?"

"Ugh, tell the Savior... no, never mind. I love you, darling. I'll see you soon!" The line went dead after the sounds of cheering and loud partying drifted away with Cora's voice happily joining the other seniors she had been galavanting with. Regina loved bringing up Emma to her Mother. It always felt like she was getting just a little bit of revenge for the years she suffered.

Alice looked up at Regina curiously. Her book was finished and she was just about to grab the sketchbook and color pencils that Emma had bought her on the way home. Henry had convinced his blonde mother to let him stop at the comic shop after school, so Emma figured it was only fair to get something for Alice as well.

"That was..." Regina started slowly, carefully considering her words. She smiled, "That was your other grandmother, Cora. She's away on vacation, but she'll be home soon and you'll get to meet her."

Alice slid off the chair with her sketchbook and pencils. "Is she nice like Gramma Snow and Grandpa David?"

Nice wasn't the word that Regina had in mind. Although Cora was dangerously playful with everyone else, she was the sweetest woman when it came to Henry. Regina was even envious a little bit, since Cora had never been as doting on her when she was younger.

"She loves Henry, so she's going to love you, dear," Regina reassured the child.

"I hope so. I really like Grandma Snow. She's nice. But don't tell her that I like Grandpa David better. He let me help him make a scrapbook page."

Regina held back a laugh. "Did he now? Well, your secret is safe with me, dear."

"I know. I like you and Emma the best, though." Alice said with a smile. Regina gasped quietly, her heart beating loudly in her chest. Even if she never heard Alice call her "Mom" of her own volition, Regina would be satisfied knowing that she and Emma were first to Alice. The girl held up her sketchbook proudly with an incredibly detailed color sketch of Regina's apple tree. Sitting at the bottom of the tree was a graceful white swan. "I drew this for you 'cause that's your favorite apple tree and the swan is Emma."

Regina's breath hitched in her throat. She raised her hand to her lips as if she could stop the sound that came out. It was a ragged gasp, tinged with the emotion she couldn't hold back. With every honest effort, Alice broke through Regina's walls and made the woman fall in love with her. The mayor rose from her chair and knelt down next to Alice to wrap her arms around the small girl. "Alice, no matter what, I love you."

Alice wrapped her arms tightly around Regina's neck, lightly bumping her sketchbook on the woman's back. "I love you too, Mommy." Everything that Regina tried to hold back was lost in that moment. She gripped tightly to Alice, no longer able to control the tears or the sobs that shook her body. Alice frowned slightly. "Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad, Alice. I'm really happy. Emma and I really want to be your moms, no matter what it takes." Regina said with a tearful smile. She held the girl at arm's length before dabbing at her eyes.

Alice shook her head, "The lady who brought me to different homes said that all these other people were my moms and dads. But they weren't nice like you and Emma. I want you to be my moms."

"You're such a good girl, darling. Why don't you go keep drawing? I need to finish some work and take care of some business. Then we can go to lunch, okay?" Regina said softly. Alice nodded before Regina placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Leaving Alice to herself in the office, the Mayor took her cellphone into the hallway outside.

She felt as if her legs would give out from beneath her even as she leaned against the door. Regina wanted to reach out to someone. To share her excitement and overwhelming joy that seemed to pour out from her heart with every beat. Her face was wet with tears and she knew her makeup, which was always so well done, would surely be a complete mess. As Regina walked to the restroom, she avoided the inquisitive look on her secretary's face.

Her reflection in the mirror surprised Regina. Smeared eyeliner, foundation smudged, but beneath it all was one of the most genuine smiles Regina had ever seen on herself. It was surprising to see such a look on her own face, though it had been happening quite frequently since she allowed herself to fall for Emma. It was because of the Sheriff that they had Alice now as well. She opened the mail application on her phone. As much as she wanted to call Emma and talk to her, Regina knew how important it was to speak with Alice while the girl was being open with her emotions. She sent a quick email to Archie asking for a drop in appointment.

After washing up and ensuring that the smeared makeup was removed from her face, Regina returned to her office. While Alice focused intently on sketching a bowl of apples on the table, Regina reapplied her makeup, glancing occasionally at her screen as emails popped in. She had just finished touching up her lipstick when the response came back from Archie in an email.

_I rearranged my schedule, the 2pm slot is open for you and Alice. _

Regina confirmed the appointment with another quick email before she returned to her work. Recalling the last session she and Alice had with Archie, Regina realized she forgot an important detail. She stood from her desk again and walked across her office to the couch near where Alice was drawing.

"Sweetie? How do you feel about seeing Archie again today?" she asked softly.

Alice stopped drawing and put down her sketchbook. She slowly turned around and faced Regina, looking up at her caretaker with blue eyes that seems to take in the request quite seriously. "You're coming with me, right?"

"Of course I am, dear. We made a promise, didn't we?" Regina smiled and held up her pinky finger. Alice's face lit up, nodding in agreement.

"Okay!" she answered.

While Alice's response didn't seem like a proper answer, Regina took it as the child's acceptance to visit with the cricket. There was so much more to Alice that Regina wanted to learn. Whatever Archie could help draw out of the child, the Mayor swore she'd be there to accept it and make sure Alice had nothing to be afraid of.

Mother Superior had been busy all week. Preparing the Fundraiser for the orphanage was a lot more than she expected. Employing the help of a few dwarves had moved things along, but it still felt a bit overwhelming. She was shocked at the donations made by citizens for the event and even more shocked at the donation made by the Mayor's office. Regina Mills had never been a fan of Mother Superior and the feeling was quite mutual. But the Mayor was a constant supporter of the orphanage, even more so with the Sheriff at her side. It was thanks to their donations that the fundraiser event was looking to be as successful as Mother Superior hoped.

A knock came at the door to her office inside the chapel. Astrid poked her head in and offered a shy smile, "Mother Superior? I'm so sorry to bother you while you're busy with the fundraiser, but we have a guest."

Mother Superior tilted her head sideways, " A guest? By all means, Astrid, don't keep them waiting. Let them in."

The younger woman stepped away from the door, opening it wide for another woman to walk into the office. She was no one Mother Superior recognized, but she seemed like a person with a good heart. She was of average height, made slightly taller by her three inch high heels. Her long, mousy brown hair hung plainly around her round face. All in all, she was quite... plain. Simple grey suit, unimpressive heels... Mother Superior had seen her type quite a few times. For some reason, social workers always looked alike.

"Hello," the woman said cheerfully. "I'm Christine Buchanan, child social services. I just came by today because I heard your orphanage was having a fundraiser. I think it's a wonderful thing you're doing here, Mother Superior." She smiled brightly at the fairy, batting her plain brown eyes and showing her teeth in an over exaggerated smile.

"Please, you may call me 'Blue," the fairy woman offered as she indicated that Christine should sit. "The whole town is excited about it. We don't have a lot of orphans in our care, but the community is very supportive."

Christine smiled, approving of the Blue Fairy's work, "Blue.. that's an interesting name. It's quite pretty, though." She placed her bag on the edge of the desk where it toppled over from its own weight. The woman carried everything possible in her bag, including all her makeup that she didn't seem to wear, medication, paperwork, and various tchotchke from god knows where. "Oh, dear... I'm so sorry about that!"

Blue moved around the desk to help pick up her things. She laughed softly, "Oh, don't worry about it. Accidents happen." She reached for a color print out of a child and frowned, "This girl... is missing?" The Blue Fairy held up the flyer for Christine to see.

The woman nodded, "It's a strange thing, you know? She was as the Portland orphanage and it seems that she ran off... I spoke to her social worker and the child has had a history of problems. I suppose she wasn't getting along with the other children. They've been searching for her for almost two weeks now."

Mother Superior sat down at her desk, holding the flyer. Her eyes narrowed at the pretty blonde girl with blue eyes in a blue and white dress. She had seen this child before. Even though the image on the paper was much more somber, it was the same face of the little girl in the photo that David Nolan had sent while his family was on vacation. She handed the paper back to Christine who was shoving things back into her bag, "Miss Buchanan... I believe I know where your missing orphan is."

* * *

Archie steepled his fingers together as he crossed one leg over the other. Alice was sitting in Regina's lap, comfortably resting against the woman she had decided would be her mother. Regina looked equally happy, brushing her hand softly over the girl's hair. She made a mental note to take Alice in to get her hair trimmed soon. Who knows when the last time the girl had a proper haircut and with such pretty blonde hair, Regina wanted to make sure it was well taken care of. She even considered possibly asking the hairdresser to put the child's locks in curls like Emma's.

"Now, Alice," Archie began softly, "I promise that no matter what you tell us, we're going to make sure you're safe, okay?" Alice nodded slowly and looked up at Regina. The Mayor smiled back at her, easing the child's concern. "Can you tell me where you're from?"

Alice shrugged, "Wonderland."

"I see. How about before that?" Archie urged her.

"Oh... before? Umm... my Papa and I came from England. I don't remember where. My nanny was with me, too. But I don't know where she is now. We went to... umm.. Water... Water... I don't remember. But it was really pretty."

Archie nodded. "Okay... so how did you get to Wonderland?" Regina raised an eyebrow, curious as to why Archie was indulging in Alice's fantasies.

"Oh, sometimes when I sleep, I wake up there. It used to be really pretty and there were lots of flowers and a cat that would talk to me. There were these two fat guys, too. They told me riddles. I ate cakes and had tea. The flowers sang to me sometimes. But then it got scary after Papa went away." Archie scribbled down notes on his clipboard, but Alice tilted her head to the side slightly, her blonde hair falling in front of her eyes. "How come you didn't tell me that Wonderland isn't real? All the other doctors did."

The psychiatrist frowned, "Did they now? But I think anything can be real. I believe that little boys made out of wood can become real boys if they're good. Or that true love can break any curse. As long as your heart is brave, selfless and true, good things will happen."

Alice looked down at her hands before turning in Regina's lap, "Mommy, is that true?"

Regina nodded, "I agree with Archie, sweetie. Anything can happen if you believe in it. Want to know a secret? Emma saved me with true love."

The girl's eyes went wide, "She did? Is that why she's your Knight?"

"Why, yes, she is. Emma believed in me when no one else did. She believes in you, too."

Alice turned back towards Archie, "The other doctors said I was lying. So the families didn't believe me. They said I was making it up. No one ever believes me."

"Alice, what kind of scary things happened in Wonderland after your Papa left?" Archie asked carefully.

The little girl paused, her eyes darkening slightly as the memory came back to her. "There was a mean lady. She was the Queen of Hearts. She was nice at first, but then she got really scary. I think she was just mean and selfish. She would cut off peoples' heads and take their hearts."

Regina shuddered. It sounded a lot like her mother. Well, it sounded just like Cora had been, not who she was now. But the story of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass was an American classic. Many children knew of it and there were a great many children who had nightmares about frightening figures in literature.

Archie nodded slowly. "Do you still have those dreams, Alice?"

"No, not anymore. I did at first, but then Mommy let me sleep with her and Emma when I was scared and I didn't have the bad dreams."

"How come you don't call Emma 'Mom' or 'Mommy'?" the psychiatrist asked.

Alice shrugged as if it were something simple, "I don't know. Henry doesn't do it all the time. Can I?"

"I think she'd like that, Alice." Regina said softly.

"Okay." Alice nodded. She liked that no one was getting mad at her. It was as if for the first time, the adults actually believed in her. The doctor didn't dismiss the things she said and Regina didn't get frustrated with her. Alice felt safe. "Before, whenever I told people I came from Wonderland, they said I was lying. But I'm not. Good girls don't lie. The Mad Hatter told me."

"Mad Hatter?" Regina asked curiously.

"Uh huh. He said that good girls don't lie and that if I was good, then one day I would have a real family. So I had to be really really good."

Regina and Archie looked up at each other. It made sense to her now, why Alice was so obedient. She cleaned her own room, offered to help with the dishes, always put her things away, was exceptionally polite and even folded her own clothes. Even Henry wouldn't fold his own clothes. Archie looked back towards Alice, "What happened if you weren't good?"

Alice frowned, "Then the people who were taking care of me would yell a lot. Sometimes they would hit me. It really hurt so I didn't want to talk to them anymore. But they would still hit me. But sometimes I drop things and I make a mess, but I don't mean to. I think that's why I don't have a family. I wasn't a good girl."

Regina's heart broke. The thought of anyone raising a hand to any child was madness to her and she hated the idea that anyone would have done that to Alice. "No, you are a good girl, sweetie. No one should ever hurt you. I'm never going to let anyone do that to you ever again, you hear me?"

Alice nodded and let Regina hug her. She liked being close to the dark haired woman. Sometimes Alice would look up and the Mayor's dark eyes were hard and cold, but whenever she looked at the girl, they became soft and Regina would smile at her. "It's okay if you're my Mommy, right?"

"Only if you want me to be, Alice." Regina said, struggling to hold back the dry sob in her throat.

Archie smiled, "I think we had a good session here. What do you think, Alice? Next time, I want to hear all about Wonderland."

"Okay. Because there were lots of people and I made lots of friends. The Duchess was really nice and the March Hare was really fun. The Mad Hatter really liked tea, but sometimes he was crazy." Alice said excitedly.

"Well, we are definitely going to talk about it next time. Can you draw me a picture of it?" he asked. Alice nodded before sliding off of Regina's lap.

The Mayor stood up and walked over to Archie, extending her hand. "Thank you, for today."

"You're very welcome, Regina," he said in quite voice, taking her hand in his. "I believe Alice uses 'Wonderland' as an escape from her trauma. It seems she and her father may have been very close. But you and Emma have done a wonderful job of earning her trust and love. She's very attached to you."

Regina nodded, "I do love this child, Archie. I didn't think it was possible to love anyone more than Emma and Henry, but then Alice showed up and she just made our family... well... complete."

The cricket nodded, "I think this is where she belongs. We'll have another session next week to see how things are going, okay?"

"All right. Thank you." Regina said sincerely.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Emma finally crawled into bed with Regina. The children had both gone to sleep and the Sheriff felt exhausted. Her head was still swimming with the reports she had seen earlier that day and she struggled with telling Regina about it. But her girlfriend was unusually cheerful that evening and Emma didn't want to ruin it.

Despite how tired she was feeling, Emma mustered the strength to slide her body across Regina's and straddle the woman reading a book in bed. Regina looked up over her reading glasses and frowned, "What is it, Emma?"

"Nothing," the blonde replied with a smile. "You seemed pretty happy today. Anything good happen?"

Regina smiled as she put her book on the side table and set her glasses on top of it. "Alice thinks of us as her mothers."

Emma's mouth unhinged itself and hung open. "Seriously? She said that?"

"She started calling me 'Mommy' and asked if it was okay to call you 'Mom." The smile on Regina's face grew wider as Emma yelped happily and kissed her. "Calm down, Emma! Why are you getting so excited? You're the one who said we should adopt her."

"I know! But it's still really exciting!" Emma said happily as she bounced on the bed. Regina winced slightly, but laughed with her. "All right, all right, settle down. Quit it, you're crushing my hips."

"Sorry," Emma grinned sheepishly as she settled. She felt her whole body calm down as she looked at Regina, suddenly getting lost in her eyes. Tucking a bit of hair behind her ear, she bent down and kissed Regina softly. "I love you."

"What's gotten into you?" Regina laughed softly. Emma didn't answer. Instead, she ducked her head down again and placed her lips on Regina's neck, causing her to tilt her head upward to allow Emma more access. "Emma..."

"I feel like I can't get enough of you, Regina," the blonde whispered softly. Cold hands slipped beneath Emma's tank top as Regina slowly lifted it up her girlfriend's back and over her head. Emma smiled and shook her hair out as Regina tossed the shirt to the side. She sighed softly as familiar hands brushed fingertips over her bare skin. Emma leaned down again and kissed her lover, her tongue barely touching the other woman's lips.

Gasping softly, Regina parted her lips for Emma and drew the blonde to her, wrapping her arms around her. Emma smiled into the kiss. They kept a relatively healthy bedroom life, but since the weekend, both women had been too busy or exhausted to indulge. They grasped at each other as if they could make up for lost time in their desperate attempts to be closer.

Regina moaned softly as she brought her knees up to let Emma rest comfortably against her. The Sheriff's deft hands fluttered over the buttons of Regina's pajamas, peeling the fabric away to reveal soft olive toned skin. Emma felt her heart beat loudly in her chest, reverberating into her ears like drums. She sat there, straddling Regina, just taking a moment to see the woman she had given her heart to. Regina caressed Emma's stomach with one hand as she tucked her other arm behind her head. "Why did you stop?"

"Because you're just too amazing. Sometimes, I just look at you and my brain won't work anymore," Emma said with a crooked smile.

A soft blush appeared on Regina's face. She licked her lips, watching as Emma's eyes followed the movement of her tongue. She reached up and pulled the blonde back down to her, kissing her softly before whispering, "Well, let me help you get that brain of yours to get back on track." She kissed Emma again, letting herself sink into the heart racing emotion that overtook her. A throbbing pressure between her thighs only made her desire Emma even more than she thought she could.

Positioning herself between Regina's legs, Emma began placing soft kisses along her girlfriend's neck. She made a trail of heated caresses with her lips down between Regina's breasts as she brushed her fingers along her waist. Regina shivered slightly at the touch, arching her back to silently plead Emma for more attention. Her lover was happy to oblige, taking a hardened nipple into her mouth and wrapping her tongue around it. Regina inhaled sharply, grasping Emma's blonde hair between her fingers.

The Sheriff smiled. She was fascinated at all the different ways Regina behaved sexually. She enjoyed when their lovemaking was wild, heated and full of passion. But she loved it more when Regina became softer, visibly relishing in every touch. It was in moments like this that Emma was glad for the things that happened in her past to bring her here. Finding her arousal increasing, she continued her pathway of kisses down Regina's stomach and along her thighs.

"Don't stop," Regina muttered softly between sighs. Emma allowed a quiet, low chuckle escape her, amused at the woman who normally would never plead for anything.

"Why would I stop?" Emma asked as she brushed her tongue along the inside of Regina's thigh.

"You're talking too much, Miss Swan," the brunette growled.

As much as it had irked her in the past, she loved hearing Regina say 'Miss Swan' in the bedroom. It was their thing, a tiny verbal reminder of all they had worked for together. To everyone else, the blonde was simply 'Emma,' but to Regina, she would always be 'Miss Swan.' _Her_ _Swan._ Emma smiled to herself as she shifted herself to taste Regina's heated center.

The Mayor arched her back again, drawing her breath so quickly that it caused her to hiss. Emma's tongue barely touched the sensitive skin, but Regina felt like it was all over her body. She craved the indescribable feeling that took over her. In the back of her mind, she was practically screaming for Emma to bring her to full release.

The blonde woman understood. She knew when Regina was close and what it would take to get her there. Sometimes it changed, but Emma was quick to adapt and eager to please. She eased three fingers into her lover, enjoying the accidentally loud moan that escaped into the air. They normally tried to stay quiet so they wouldn't wake Henry and now, Alice, but Regina couldn't help herself. She loved feeling Emma inside of her, the way her girlfriend loved to curl her fingers to reach that spot that would push her over the edge. Emma's free hand gently parted the folds of her lover's core, giving her unhindered access to the throbbing center of nerves that she wanted to taste.

As soon as Emma's tongue caressed that bit of flesh, Regina thrashed on the bed. She was far too sensitive and terribly close. Emma held her down, determined to continue. Regina grasped at Emma's hair, torn between pulling her away, but effectively holding her head in place.

She reached her peak, raising her hips as her body responded in pleasure drenched convulsions. Emma immediately felt her lover's walls tighten around her fingers and the sticky, sweet evidence of Regina's orgasm that coated her hand.

The brunette fell back on the pillows and sighed, "What the hell have you done to me?" She looked up in time to see Emma lick each of her fingers clean, as if she had dipped them in a vat of sugary syrup. Regina blushed bright red as Emma's eyes met hers.

"Well, if you must know, I just made you orgasm," Emma said with a goofy grin. "All over my hand." She wiggled her fingers.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Sometimes you're the most childish person I've ever come across." She pulled herself up against the headboard, scooting away from Emma. She smiled as Emma pouted after losing contact. "Come here."

"Oooh, you're in a cuddly mood? I like it," Emma replied as she crawled up across the bed to lay next to Regina. She was usually the one doing all the holding and cuddling, but Regina seemed to want to baby Emma a little bit today. She gently stroked her blonde hair with her fingers, sighing quietly. "What's up? You're unusually docile."

"I was just thinking. I'm really lucky, you know? All my life I just wanted family. To be loved... it took a very long time, but everything is finally coming together. I have Henry and you, my mother is even tolerable now. Your parents are surprisingly supportive, even when I'm not as nice as I could be to them... and now we have Alice," Regina said softly. "I really couldn't ask for anything more."

Emma smirked, "Except maybe another orgasm?" She laughed as Regina pushed her away and moved to the other side of the bed. "What?"

"Christ, you're worse than a child! Is that all I'm good for to you? Sex?" the brunette pouted, curled up on her side with her back facing Emma.

"I'm just teasing..." she replied softly. Emma wriggled herself closer to Regina, wrapping her arm around the other woman's waist. "Gina... I'm just playing. You know I don't mean that. Seriously, I love you. You mean the world to me."

Regina smirked to herself before turning in Emma's arms, pressing her naked body against her lover's warm skin. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you say 'I love you,' Emma Swan." She slid her body over Emma's, gently pushing the blonde onto her back. Emma gulped audibly, noticing the predatory look in Regina's darkened eyes.

Regina wasted no time in returning the mood to a sensual one. She lowered herself down on Emma, brushing her lips against the blonde's neck. Emma sighed quietly, enjoying the touch of her lover's lips on her pulse point. She weaved her fingers into Regina's short dark hair, lightly drawing her nails across the older woman's back with her other hand. Regina pulled away from her then, sitting up for a moment. Emma pouted, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, dear. I have something I want to try. I ordered it online and I've been waiting to use it... just..." Regina's cheeks suddenly turned a bright red with embarrassment. "Just trust me."

Emma smiled as she reached up to touch Regina's face, "Of course I trust you."

Regina's eyes darkened significantly as she leaned over to retrieve something from the bedside table. "Close your eyes," she instructed.

"What? No blindfold?" Emma chuckled. Her eyes went wide as Regina cupped her hand over Emma's mouth and leaned in towards her.

"Do as I say, Miss Swan or I will make you regret it," Regina commanded, staring intensely into familiar green eyes. Emma obeyed with a quiet nod, closing her eyes and allowing her consciousness take in the darkness. Regina's hand never left her mouth, keeping the blonde pinned to the bed in accepted submission. Emma felt her lover's fingertips flutter softly over her stomach and across her hips before the sensation disappeared briefly. A small gasp escaped her as Regina's fingers entered her, maneuvering slowly at first, then curling inward to press on Emma's sensitive core. She let out a muffled cry, giving herself in to Regina's touch. From the confines of darkness, everything Regina did to her body felt like a new sensation. The slightest touch made Emma's brain light up with an invigorated sense of passion.

She felt Regina's fingers leave her for a moment, but it was barely that. Something hard and small slid into her wetness, followed by the welcome feeling of Regina's fingers again. Without warning, a jolt of pleasure swept through her body as a vibration echoed from the mysterious thing to every inch of her awareness. Emma squirmed under Regina's hold, raising her hips in need and struggling against the sensually controlling strength of her hand. Emma's eyes flew open as Regina's hand moved away from her mouth and her tongue caressed her center. The vibrator slid deeper into Emma from her own wetness, making her raise her hips even higher to meet Regina's tongue. Regina smiled as she took Emma's hardened clit between her lips and sucked on it. Emma's orgasm crashed over her with such intensity that she clawed at Regina's hair and moaned her Queen's name into the air in loud gasps.

Regina waited for Emma to ride out her orgasm before pulling away from her and slowly withdrawing the vibrator. Emma shivered slightly, then sat up abruptly as Regina had settled back between her legs and was slowly working her tongue into Emma's folds. "Jesus Christ, Regina! You're insatiable!"

The brunette raised her head and licked her lips seductively at her girlfriend. "I'm quite pleased with that purchase. I've never seen you come so hard. I liked it."

Emma felt her entire body turn red. She flashed a bright smile as she held her hand out to Regina, inviting the older woman into her arms. Regina crawled up on the bed next to the blonde and settled into her arms. "Do you know how fucking amazing you are, Regina Mills?"

"I know and you're a vulgar mouthed child woman." Regina replied with a smirk.

Emma laughed quietly, "Yup. Love you, too." Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde's unstoppable confidence. She allowed herself to relax, welcoming sleep and the security she found in the Savior's arms.

* * *

"You really have to watch the grind on that coffee, Emma," David explained. He was standing at the coffee maker, threatening to throw out the can of instant coffee. "But trust me, it's so much better than the instant stuff you've been drinking."

Emma was at her desk, working through some reports Regina had asked her to review. "That's great, Dad. But you weren't here when we ran out of filters. Regina nearly hung Mulan on the spot. That's why we switched to instant."

Mulan frowned from her desk right outside of Emma's office. "I still do not understand your frustration with it, Sheriff. The product I had utilized was more than adequate in substituting the coffee filter. I apologized to Mayor Mills."

"Do I want to know?" David asked, raising an eyebrow. He had an inkling as to what the conversation was about, considering that Mulan had used similar methods to stop a nosebleed he had.

"No, you don't," Emma replied quickly. The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Emma clicked the speakerphone button so the others in the station could hear the call. "Sheriff Swan, is this an emergency?"

The soft, clear voice across the phone line was stuttering, "Emma? I-it's Nova. I mean, Astrid. Well, I was Nova, but I'm still..."

"Just get to it!" Emma sighed in frustration. The people in the town were constantly grating on her nerves, no one seeming to get into the groove of the modern world as well as Regina did.

"Right, sorry," Nova apologized. "Mother Superior just left with a woman from Social Services. It seems that they received a court order to pick up the little girl you found and bring her back to Portland. I believe they are headed to the Mayor's home."

Emma's face went pale and for a moment, Mulan thought her curls had even deflated. "Sheriff? It is a court order. I believe it is best that we assist."

The Sheriff reacted quickly. She stood up from her chair and grabbed her jacket and car keys. David watched her move frantically, "Emma, where are you going?"

"Home!" she shouted. "I can't let Mother Superior get to the house." Emma felt like everything in her head was unfocused except the image of Regina and Alice. Henry should have been gone already, whisked off for archery practice with Snow and Ruby. Emma had been looking forward to a quiet evening with her girls. But in her heart, she knew this day would come. She knew she'd have to handle Alice leaving... she had only hoped that it wouldn't happen until she and Regina had adopted her.

Emma raced to her car, hoping into the front seat and speeding off through downtown in the old yellow bug. David and Mulan stopped at the cruiser, then nodded in agreement as they followed after Emma. Inside the station, the soft voice of Astrid was still on the speakerphone, wondering what had happened.

* * *

Regina and Alice had mutually agreed that dinner would have to be an easy one since they had returned home late after dropping Henry off at Granny's to meet with Ruby and Snow. It had taken Regina awhile to agree to it, especially when she had heard that it would be an overnight trip. But Henry begged and both Ruby and Snow assured her that the three of them would be safe. Henry considered himself quite lucky when she said yes. The mayor had suggested that they should order a pizza. Henry had always loved when she would allow for pizza for dinner and Regina assumed that Alice would be equally excited. But the girl shook her head and suggested they make mac and cheese with bacon.

The dark haired woman scrunched her nose slightly, "With bacon, dear?"

Alice nodded vigorously, "Yeah, Emma likes bacon."

Regina laughed, "Bacon it is, then." The doorbell rang and she rolled her eyes before taking off her short kitchen apron she used to protect her clothes. "I'll be right back, sweetie. Stay right here."

"Okay, Mommy." Alice answered. She sat on a barstool with a recipe book in front of her. While Regina had been cooking, Alice was eagerly flipping through the pages, asking about various recipes and pictures she saw.

Wiping her hands on a dish towel, Regina left the kitchen and headed towards the front door. She frowned slightly at the fisheye view of the Blue Fairy on her doorstep as she peered through the peephole. Swinging the door open, Regina put on her best politician's smile. "Why, Mother Superior... how kind of you to drop by. Is there anything I can assist you with?"

A woman, slightly younger than Regina herself, stepped forward from behind Blue and offered a warm smile. Regina returned the mask-like smile and nodded. Upon further inspection, the woman was no taller than the Mayor, with long dark wavy hair, deep brown eyes and an average build. She was wearing a black suit and a white blouse, but it was nothing remarkable. Even her shoes were so mediocre that Regina barely remembered what color they were after visually evaluating the woman in front of her.

"Good evening. Regina Mills, I presume?" the woman asked with a wide smile. "My name is Justine Reyes, Department of Social Services."

Regina folded her arms defensively and planted herself square in the doorway, "What is this about?" She knew in her heart what it was about and she had feared this day would come. But Regina didn't expect it would come so soon. Alice had only been with them a few weeks. She felt like the girl had made so much progress that she and Emma could convince the social workers to let her stay, no matter how unconventional it was. But Emma wasn't home. Regina was alone, defending her family with her usual choice of weapons: a sharp tone and a gaze that could shatter diamonds.

Justine Reyes stood unfazed. She had seen many parents just like Regina; the sort of parents who would fight tooth and nail to stop social services, but in the end, the government always won. It had been painful to see all these people with good in their hearts, have their world ripped out from under them. But there were a great many others who didn't deserve the children they were given.

"The Department of Social Services has been notified that a runaway orphan has been staying here with you. Is this true?" Justine asked in a political tone.

Regina squared her shoulders, staring the woman down, "I have no reason to answer to you."

Justine held out a piece of paper with a seal on the bottom from the State of Maine. "I'm sorry, Miss Mills. Court order states that the child, Alice Chesshyre, is to return with us to the Portland State Orphanage."

"I won't allow it." Regina said firmly.

Mother Superior frowned, "Please, Madame Mayor, don't make this any harder on yourself."

Justine sighed, "Miss Mills, I have been Alice's social worker for several years since her father died. The girl is mentally disturbed. She's not suited to be in a home with other children. You're already listed in the system as an adoptive parent, to which we're very grateful, but our concern is for your son, Henry. Alice has not had a positive relationship with any other children. It's best that she stay under the government's care to avoid any further damage to her psyche."

"You looked through my records? While it's none of your business, Alice and Henry get along just fine!" Regina ground her back teeth angrily, wanting to throw her fist into the woman's face. But she held back, Queens did not strike with their fists.

"It's customary to do so, Miss Mills. We were notified that you were the one caring for her. Honestly, Portland dropped the ball in the beginning and had missed Sheriff Swan's request for information about the girl. But we need to take her back. Who knows what kind of damage being out on her own has done to her?" Justine frowned slightly, trying to peer behind Regina into the house.

"Absolutely not! That child needs me! I can't let you take her! If there was any damage, it was caused by everyone else outside! Alice is safe here and cared for!" Regina snapped. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Everything she valued was always taken away from her. The only thing she's managed to hold onto all these years was her own hatred for the evils in her life, the evils that shaped her being. Maintaining a family with Emma was surprisingly stable, but now it felt as if that was also shattering around her like her old magic mirror. She knew that if she were to do her part and keep Storybrooke's secrets safe, following this world's unusual laws and regulations was essential. But this world was a thousand times crueler than the Enchanted Forest. Regina glanced up as the familiar yellow bug came peeling through the street. Emma parked haphazardly on the driveway, scrambling out of the car and running towards Regina at full speed. "Emma!"

The Sheriff ignored Mother Superior and Justine, wrapping her arms fiercely around the Mayor as if she would disappear with the wind if Emma were to loosen her grip. "I'm here, Regina... are you okay? Where's Alice?"

Regina lost her control and allowed the tears to fall. "They're going to take her, Emma... we can't let them!" She felt Emma's hands stroke her hair and hold her, trying to calm her down. But Regina's heart broke just thinking of the situation. She had grown so attached to Alice that it felt like the girl was already her own.

"Sheriff Swan?" Justine said softly.

Emma turned her head just as the Storybrooke patrol car parked itself in front of the house. David and Mulan came jogging up to the house, stopping just behind Mother Superior. Vivid memories of a past not so long ago came racing back to the blonde, causing her to wrap her arms tighter around Regina.

The red headed fairy turned to face Mulan. Knowing of the warrior's adamancy to justice and being a law abiding citizen, she nodded, "Deputy Fa, the authorities have asked that the little girl Regina and Emma have been caring for be taken back to the capital. Can you retrieve her? It seems that the Mayor and the Sheriff are otherwise occupied."

Emma slowly released her grip on Regina, turning her body to face Justine. "You... what the hell are you doing here?"

Justine folded her arms, "I could ask you the same thing. I had a little nostalgia when I saw the report from _Sheriff E. Swan_ but I had no idea it would be you. You look good."

"Don't try to compliment me when you're trying to take my daughter away!" Emma snarled.

"Do you know her?" Regina asked. Emma didn't seem to hear her. The Queen's eyes darkened as she glared at Justine, feeling the pain of jealousy take root in her gut.

"Sheriff Swan and I have a bit of a history, don't we, Emma?" Justine said, a slight smile gracing her lips. She wasn't a terrible woman by nature, but seeing how riled up Regina had become was too irresistible. She looked back at Emma, focusing her brown eyes on the blonde. "Emma, she's not your daughter."

Regina pulled on Emma's arm, "What is she talking about, Emma? What history?" The Mayor turned towards Justine and sneered, "As far as I'm concerned, that girl _is_ our daughter." She emphasized her words, specifically when she said 'our' to put her ownership on Emma.

The blonde sighed in frustration, "Justine and I dated for a little bit when I was in Boston. I _shouldn't have_ since she was a client. But it was brief and better left in the past."

"You dated her?!" Regina screeched.

"You can't deny that there was an attraction there, Emma," Justine insisted. "You were supposed to keep me safe and track down that crazy jackass who tried to have me killed. But instead you couldn't keep your hands to yourself. Do you know how that made me feel? That when I was in need of a savior, you not only saved me but you loved me?"

Regina was seething as she listened to Justine go on about her past with Emma. She wanted to believe that she was the only one that Emma had love for, even though she knew that in her youth, the blonde had fallen hard for Neal. But that she was able to forgive because the result of that was Henry and Emma admitted that although she loved Henry, Neal was nothing but a youthful mistake. But this woman... this _Justine Reyes_ was not so far in the past. Regina felt that it was possibly close enough to the present that it could've been yesterday for all she knew.

"Just stop." Emma held up her hands, glaring at Justine. "That wasn't love, that was... I don't know what it was. But it wasn't love. I know what love is now and it wasn't that. Stop trying to distract me from the situation. Don't take Alice from us, please."

Justine shook her head, "You know I have to. The judge already signed off on it and she's expected back in Portland. The psychologist will be all over this. You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself here, so don't ruin it by trying to fight the court."

"Emma, you can't let them do this!" Regina insisted. The tears in her eyes continued to flow. She was struggling with two things at once; the fact that Alice would be taken from her and that the girl's social worker was one of Emma's ex-flings. Regina knew that it was useless to be upset about the past but she felt an incredible amount of jealousy despite herself.

Mulan stepped out of the house carrying Alice. "I am sorry, young one. But I must do my duty to the lawmakers of this land." Alice sniffled. She knew what was coming, she had seen it many times before. But when she looked up at Regina and Emma, she saw a look in their eyes she never thought she'd see. They were angry. Regina was crying. Emma was shaking. Alice buried her face in Mulan's shoulder, unable to stop herself from crying as well. Her white rabbit was in her arms, which she clutched to for dear life.

"I don't wanna go," she sobbed. "Please don't make me leave, Mulan."

"If it were not the law, child, I believe you would be able to. But we must not disobey." Mulan said firmly. She frowned, not liking this part of her job. Emma was her friend and she respected Regina. Seeing them upset was bothering her in such a way that she physically felt pain in her chest. With one hand, Mulan put on her aviator sunglasses to hide the tears of frustration in her own eyes. She regretted what she was doing, even if it was the law.

"Mulan! What are you doing?!" David shouted. He seemed to be frozen where he stood, torn between stopping Mulan and going to Emma. But he knew just as well as everyone else that he couldn't do anything to stop it. But he refused to help break his daughter's heart. He held up the car keys and beeped the cruiser's alarm. The doors locked, preventing Mulan from opening the door.

The warrior frowned, "My liege, it is unwise for you to disobey the orders of the judge as well. Please understand that it is our duty as law enforcement that we must obey the orders we are given." David moved forward a few steps, but realized that doing so would be futile. Even with Alice in her arms, Mulan was faster than he was and likely to take him down.

Alice looked up again, her blue eyes meeting Regina's. "Mommy!"

"Alice, no!" Regina moved to run to the girl, but found that Emma's arms were around her. "Emma, let go of me! I can't let them take her!"

The blonde shook her head, holding her grip around her girlfriend. Regina struggled against her, fighting to run to Alice. "We can't... we can't stop them, Regina... if we do, we'll be in obstruction of a court order... what if they deny our adoption request?" Regina's knees gave out on her and she slumped her body against Emma's. The Sheriff lowered her down to the ground, holding her tight against her chest. Regina pushed Emma off with a tear stained sneer.

"Don't! I can't believe that you of all people would try to stop me!" Regina cried. She heard the sound of a car door closing. She turned, seeing Alice sitting in the back of Justine's car, crying to herself. "You can't do this!" She moved to get up, but Emma was holding her back again. Regina tried to shake Emma off of her waist, struggling to pry the woman's strong arms off of her. "Let go of me, Emma! They're taking our daughter!"

"Regina, stop!" Emma insisted, crying into her girlfriend's shoulder. "Please, stop..."

"No!" she screamed. Her dark eyes turned to Justine, "You! I will destroy you, you home wrecking harlot! Emma Swan belongs to me and that girl... Alice is _our_ daughter! Do you hear me?! Alice belongs in mine and Emma's family!"

"I'm sorry... Emma... Miss Mills..." Justine apologized sadly. Having nothing more to say, she turned, leaving the Mayor and the Sheriff on their own porch with broken hearts.

Emma looked up at Mulan, "How could you, Mulan?!"

The warrior shook her head, "I am sorry, Sheriff. But I am unable to disobey the law for my friends. I am truly sorry."

"Mulan, don't do this," David pleaded. He hung his head in disappointment as Mulan got into the car with Alice, followed by Justine and Mother Superior.

"No!" Regina cried. Completely lost to her emotions, she sat on the porch of the house in tears. Her body shook in sharp convulsions from her sobs. She felt Emma's hands on her back. "Don't touch me!"

"Regina..." Emma began softly, her voice torn from her own tears.

"No, you sat there and let your ex-girlfriend take away our daughter. You told me the other day that we should adopt her and now you just sit here?! Or were you still so in love with that woman that you didn't want to disappoint her? You didn't even tell her that you're _my girlfriend_! Emma, we have a family together! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!" Regina exclaimed.

"It's not like that! You know this family means everything to me!" Emma shouted back. They both scrambled to their feet, squaring off. David frowned. It was moments like these in the past that had caused a lot of animosity between the two women. Regina's eyes raked over Emma. The blonde caught on quickly, "Don't look at me like you can judge me with just one look. I hate it when you do that, Regina!"

"Oh really?! Well then maybe you should just back to Boston with your little social worker and the two of you can have a happy life together!" the dark haired woman shouted back. She turned on her heel and stalked back into the house, slamming the door in Emma's pathway.

"Regina!" Emma moved to open the front door. Her heart was beating loudly, painfully in her chest. The door was locked. "Regina, open the door!" There was no answer. Emma scowled and sat down in front of the door with her arms folded.

"Honey, you can't stay out here," David said softly.

"Like hell I can't. I'm not moving here until she opens the door."

Struggling with leaving and staying with his daughter, David finally shrugged. "We'll get Alice back, Emma... don't worry."

As her father walked down towards the patrol car, Emma brought her knees up to her chest where she cried silently to herself. Her small but fulfilling family was ripped apart in a matter of moments and now, with unfortunate circumstance, the woman she loved was cutting her out as well. It was a feeling that Emma never expected to feel again. The pain of rejection was not a welcome one in her heart.

On the other side of the door, Regina Mills was curled up on the marbled entry with her arms wrapped around herself to ease the rift that had split her heart in two. The tears that flowed from her eyes were only a fraction of the pain in her heart.

The front door of the white mansion didn't open that night. Emma found herself sleeping in her car, waking up every twenty or thirty minutes to see if the porch light would turn on. It never did. For the first time since she had fallen for Regina Mills, Emma felt the cold feeling of loneliness sink into the pit of her stomach.

When the sun rose the next morning, she drove to Granny's for a shower and something to eat. Dinner the night before had gone unmade and Emma worried if Regina had eaten anything. When the former Queen was upset, she refused food or conversation until she felt she was ready. After eating a bearclaw and a cup of coffee, she thanked Granny and took a pastry to go. Granny Lucas knew something was up, but she understood the look in Emma's eyes that it wasn't anything she should ask about just yet.

Emma left the pastry on the front porch of the house before texting Regina.

_Can we talk? I'm sorry about yesterday. Regina, I miss you. I left you breakfast on the porch. Call me?_

After not receiving an answer, Emma sadly turned down the walkway to her car. She looked up and thought for a brief moment that she saw slight movement from their bedroom window. Whether or not Regina was there, she knew that her girlfriend, if she could still call her that, would not make her appearance known. The Sheriff took a deep breath and tried to help her body relax. Feeling slightly renewed, she headed out to her next task.

* * *

Mr. Gold was inspecting a lacquered box, holding up tiny pillow shaped cakes that read 'Eat Me.' He looked up as the door of his shop swung open fiercely. Shutting the lid of the box sharply, he slid it beneath the counter. "Sheriff Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Emma placed her hands on the case and leaned towards the old trickster, "I need your assistance, _I'm willing to make a deal."_

Hearing the determination in her voice, Mr. Gold smiled. "Well then, dearie, you've come to the right place."

* * *

_**As always, please review and thanks for reading! Already working on chapter 10!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**_Whew! I rushed this chapter, but I think there's a lot of important things in here. #Spoilers - I'm sorry, SWEN, we're still getting over the finale, but I just had to throw more feels your way._**

**_Note: I don't own the OUaT characters. I just ship them really really hard._**

* * *

**_Waiting on the Other Side_**

_"Daddy, look! I brought you flowers for your office. The cheshire cat said the flowers will keep away the madness." Alice beamed, placing the flowers in an empty vase on the desk. Dr. William Chesshyre smiled down at his daughter with tired eyes. She loved the feeling of his hand on her head; heavy and comforting._

_"Thank you, Alice. Have you finished your lesson?" he asked gently, occasionally glancing at his paperwork._

_"Yes, Maureen said my writing is very good," she answered excitedly. Alice turned to see the middle aged maid of their home at the doorway._

_Dr. Chesshyre nodded, "Good afternoon, Maureen."_

_"Good afternoon, sir. I'll have your afternoon tea ready in just a bit. Would you care to take it in the lounge?"_

_The doctor looked down at his smiling daughter, staring into her deep blue eyes that reminded him of his departed Dinah. "No, Maureen. I think Alice and I will take our tea in the garden."_

_Alice cheered excitedly, rushing out towards the flower filled garden she loved to play in. She was happy here, with her father and maid, Maureen. Connecticut wasn't like home yet, but it was fine as long as they were together, just like they had been in England. _

* * *

Alice opened her eyes. She had no idea what time it was, but it was dark outside of her tiny grey walled room. She was surrounded by nothing but simple furnishings. A plain sterilized bed, a single bedside table, a chair in the corner underneath a window with cheap curtains. The door was shut, held closed with heavy locks. A window with a slide panel was on the door so that outsiders could peer into the room. She hated this room. It was in this room that the nightmares were the worst. It was where she had the scariest of dreams.

The small girl clutched her white rabbit. It was slightly dirty, but Alice knew she would never love a toy as much as she loved this one. Emma had given it to her on her first night in Storybrooke. Right now, it was the only thing that kept the nightmares away.

* * *

_"Alice, try to get some sleep. I'll stay right here with you," William said softly to his daughter. The girl nodded slowly and closed her eyes, comforted by her father's presence. Even in the pale light of the bedroom, Alice looked very much like her mother. She had fallen ill from the change in weather. Since the move from Hertfordshire to Connecticut, Alice's body had been struggling with the atmosphere. She developed allergies and insomnia, which Maureen had helped soothe with bedtime stories and warm tea with local honey. But this time the entire household had caught something._

_William coughed. He felt the exhaustion in his body. Tired and ill, William decided that being by his daughter's side was more important. He'd get rest eventually. It wasn't uncommon for him to stay up late, catch some sort of cold or flu and bounce back from it. Although this illness had been going on for a few days, today was really wiping him out. It was late at night and Alice was finally able to sleep. Her fever had gone down significantly. He calmed down, glad that his daughter would be safe. He lay his head down on the bed next to her, praying for her health to return._

_The next morning when Maureen came to wake Alice, she found the little girl sitting up in her bed, shaking her father gently._

_"Daddy? Daddy, get up."_

_"Alice? What's wrong?" Maureen asked._

_"Daddy won't wake up. I think he's really tired." _

_The maid frowned. "Alice, why don't you go wash up?" The girl nodded and squirmed off of the bed. Once she was out of the room, Maureen placed her fingers on her employer's neck. Her hands began to shake as the realization sank in. William Chesshyre would not be waking up._

_The doctors said it was pneumonia. Alice had no idea what it meant, but she knew that it meant her father was sick and he wasn't coming back. She felt lost, lonely and guilty. She had dreamt that night of her other world. Of Wonderland. She had spent this last visit with the Caterpillar. He told her that she would be safe in Wonderland, if she ever wanted to stay. Alice had told the wise old bug that she needed to go home, to her father. _

_As she sat in the cemetery with Maureen and her father's colleagues, Alice wished she could return to her dream land. She had nothing to fear there. This world was lonely without her father. Even if she had known Maureen all her young life, it wasn't the same. She watched as the white rose she tossed into the grave stood out brightly against the deep red ones that scattered the coffin. She wished her white rose would disappear, dyed red and fade into the background like all the others._

* * *

A knock came at the door. Alice looked up, holding tight to her rabbit. It was merely one of the orphanage nurses, bringing a tray of food and pills. The nurse set the food on the rolling table by Alice's bed and sat down in the corner chair with a book. This was the routine. They would bring her food and sit there, making sure she would eat. When she didn't in the past, they would call in orderlies to make her take the pills and sleep. She was a troubled child, after all, she told herself.

Raising the bland food to her mouth she frowned. It wasn't like Regina's dinners. There was a small cookie on the tray. She ate it after the rest of her flavorless meal, remembering how soft the cookies she had made with Regina were compared to the dry flakey thing in her hand. Alice pushed the table to the side slowly and laid down again, holding her rabbit close. The nurse came and took her tray, double checking to make sure she took her pills. They were supposed to 'keep her level' but all they did was make her sleep. Before she drifted off, she wondered what Henry was doing.

* * *

_"Alice, this is your new family for awhile," said the social worker. She was a young woman with long dark hair and dark brown eyes. She had introduced herself as Justine Reyes. She was nice, but Alice held a slight resentment for her because she wanted to go home. She wanted to be in her own bed where her father would tell her stories until she fell asleep._

_"Hello, Alice. We're so happy to have you here with us. I'm Gloria Rosetti, but you can call me 'Mom." the woman said. Alice didn't feel like she was allowed to call her 'Mom.' She was a short portly woman with curly brown hair. Her husband was an equally portly man. Alice thought they looked like the Tweedles. _

_They took her in and gave her a room. But she missed her father. There were other children there. Ones that the Rosettis had taken in that were orphans or foster children just like herself. They were lively, but sometimes they were rude. One boy was particularly mean, always fighting back and causing trouble for the family. It was on the days that he caused trouble that it seemed like Alice would get into trouble as well. _

_The other children asked her where she was from. Her home, the home in Hertfordshire and in Connecticut were gone because her father wasn't there. Maureen was gone, too. So her heart told her that her home was Wonderland. That's what she told the other children. They told her she was crazy. She had simply said, "We're all mad here." The other children had complained to the Rosettis. They scolded her for telling lies. But Alice insisted that it was the truth. She was Alice. She sang songs with the Tweedles, danced amongst flowers and ate cakes that made her grow to enormous sizes or drank juices that made her very tiny._

_Punishment at the Rosetti home was often brutal. Since there were so many children, Mr. Rosetti made it a point to punish the troublesome ones. He never struck them, but they were often locked into a small room under the steps for several hours. Alice used that time to sleep, to escape to her Wonderland._

_In Wonderland, she had tea with the Mad Hatter. He insisted that she call him 'Jefferson.' Compared to the other inhabitants of Wonderland, he was quite different. There was always a lost sort of look to his eyes and he would talk about 'Grace.' Alice never asked who Grace was, she understood that if the Hatter wanted to tell her, he would. Instead, he asked maddening riddles. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" She never discovered the answer. When she was allowed out of the small room, the children avoided her. Mrs. Rosetti had sat her down alone and tried to ask Alice why she lied. Alice couldn't tell her why, she hardly knew the reason herself. She never thought she was lying. Wonderland had been very real for her. At times she found cake crumbs in her pockets. She awoke once with a cookie in her hand that said 'Eat Me.' The other children accused her of stealing snacks. Again, she was punished. Over and over, she was left, lonely and locked away in the small room. _

_Justine came one day and spoke to Mrs. Rosetti. Alice was loaded up into Justine's car and Mrs. Rosetti stood at the door with a very relieved look on her face. No, this home wasn't meant for Alice. She was soon brought to an orphanage at Boston where she would silently wait for the right family to come along._

* * *

"How are you doing, Alice?" Dr. Young asked. Alice sat silently on the couch with her rabbit. The room was boring, nothing like Archie's office. It was uncomfortable, the couch was worn out and the old leather had cracks where the stuffing began to peek out in the cushions. Dr. Young was very systematic. He saw many children throughout the day. It wasn't like Alice was the only one who had a troubled past. She clutched her rabbit and wished Regina was still sitting with her. She felt safe there, with Regina and Archie, that she was sure if she told them about Wonderland and all the things she had seen, they'd believe her.

Alice shrugged. "Still not talking, then?" Dr. Young continued as he made notes on his clipboard. "Where did you get the bunny?"

"My Ma gave it to me," she said. The middle aged psychologist opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly. It was the first time he had heard Alice say more than two words. Something was different about the girl. "What was your Ma's name?"

"Emma."

Dr. Young frowned. According to Alice's records, her mother's name was Dinah Chesshyre. "Is Emma from Wonderland?" he asked, playing into her game.

"No. But Mommy said she's a Knight. Mommy's a Queen." Alice sank further back into the chair. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. She missed her new home where she was sure Regina was making dinner and Emma was sitting in front of the television with Henry. She wanted to be there, helping Regina in the kitchen.

The doctor scribbled more notes on his clipboard. _Extended exposure to the wilderness during her disappearance has further damaged Alice's psyche. She now claims that the people she considers her parents are a 'knight' and a 'queen.' It is recommended that Alice remain at the orphanage for further development and evaluation. Her speech has increased and she is willing to say a few things. _

"Why did you leave, Alice?"

The girl shook her head. She was done talking. This wasn't the first time she had met Dr. Young. He didn't really care about what she said and even at her age, she wasn't oblivious to it. The doctor tried a few more questions, but Alice wouldn't respond. She remained stoic and silent on his chair until the 45 minute session was over. She suddenly missed Archie.

* * *

_A space had opened up with a foster family in Toledo, Ohio. Justine decided that Alice needed to get away from Boston. That it may be too close to home. So it was off to Ohio with what little possessions she had. _

_The Camerons were a family with money. They lived in a large house with many rooms, but Alice and the other two foster children there were made to share a small room. The Camerons had a maid to help care for the children and a personal chef to prepare meals. But Alice still felt that it was cold and lonely in the home. _

_Mrs. Cameron had a quick temper. Alice had knocked over a glass of juice in the kitchen. Punishment came as a swift hand, hardened with expensive rings. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron argued often, the former would be drunk on his private collection of imported vodka. Alice had always been a bit of a clumsy girl, but her father never scolded her for it. She learned quickly to tread softly around the Camerons. Silence was best, for the most part, but oftentimes her silence would also induce punishment. They scolded her for being complacent and they viewed her silence as belligerence. Salvation could not come soon enough._

_When Justine came to check on the family, the bruises on Alice's arms and legs were quite evident. She and the other two children were quickly sent off to an orphanage and away from the cold mansion in Toledo._

* * *

Justine had read the report from Dr. Young. She was shocked, to be honest. In the three years she had been Alice's social worker, the girl had never been vocal. Short answers, if any, were the best anyone could get out of her. She knew Alice was obedient, but she always refused to speak. She wondered just what Emma Swan had done that was different that caused such a change in a closed off girl's mind.

The social worker walked down the hallway of the orphanage. Portland's facility was more of a hospital than a home. Three private rooms were set aside for 'problem' children. Alice was in room 403. Other children lived at the orphanage, the more adjusted ones were allowed to live in the four large shared rooms; two for boys, two for girls. They had a normal schedule. Classes during the day, playtime in the afternoon, scheduled meals and bed by eight. Alice was separated from the others to prevent any bullying from other children. Justine knew she was a fragile girl, although the two weeks she had been in Storybrooke had certainly put a bit of healthy weight onto the girl. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed. When she had gone to pick up Alice, the child was wearing well fitted designer clothes. Lucky Brand jeans, a Burberry blouse, a Burberry coat and matching shoes. It certainly wasn't the state that she expected to find Alice in, but she was appreciative of the care that Emma and the Mayor had shown the girl.

Standing in front of Alice's door, Justine peered into the window. Alice was sitting quietly on the chair by the window, curled up with her bunny and a book. When she opened the door, Alice barely glanced up at her before turning her attention back to her book. She was reading a dog-eared copy of _The Hobbit. _Alice was never one for 'light' reading. The rabbit sat in her lap as if it were reading with her.

"Reading again, Alice?" Justine asked as she sat on the bed. Alice shrugged and continued keeping her eyes on the book. "Did you read a lot in Storybrooke?" Again Justine was answered with a shrug. It was clear that Alice was mad at her. Or at the very least, that she wasn't ready to speak to Justine. The woman sighed and stood up. "Okay, I suppose today isn't a day to talk. We'll chat later."

Alice looked up as Justine walked to the door. "When can I go home?"

Justine spun around, her eyes wide. "You _are_ home."

The girl shook her head, sending her blonde locks around her shoulders. "Mommy isn't here."

Curious to see if she could get Alice to speak more, Justine returned to the bed and sat down. "Who's your Mommy, Alice?"

Frowning, as if Justine had just asked her a stupid question, Alice looked up at the woman, "Regina."

"Who's your dad, then?"

Alice shook her head, "Daddy died a long time ago. But I have my Ma, Emma and Mommy. They're my mommies and Henry is my big brother. They said so. Grandpa David and Grandma Snow said that I'm their family, too. I made lots of friends."

"Is that where you got your bunny?"

"Ma gave Sir Rabbit to me. He's my friend, too."

Nodding slightly, Justine began to understand. "I see. Well, we'll see. I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do." Alice smiled a little, then opened her book again to continue reading. Justine watched the girl for a moment before leaving the room.

* * *

_For some reason that Alice didn't understand, the next family she was sent to was in Corpus Christi, Texas with the Parker family. They were simple people in a small house with three children. Alice learned from the previous houses she was sent to that it was best if she didn't speak. Mrs. Parker was a single foster mother. It was her job to simply care for the children that the government sent her. Alice didn't seem to mind the long distance she had to go, once she had settled in. Because she wouldn't speak, Maria Parker tried all sorts of different ways for Alice to communicate. _

_Instead of having her own room or sharing a room with all the other children, she lived in a room with two beds. She shared the room with another little girl, but Alice decided to keep to herself. Maria Parker tried to give Alice other options by handing her a sketchbook and a box of colored pencils. The materials sat on the desk for several weeks before Alice even touched them. She started with drawing the pencil holder in front of her. Every shade and angle seemed so easy to replicate on paper. After a few tries, Alice figured out how to apply pressure with the pencil to create darker shadows, defined lines and depth. _

_When Maria discovered the drawings, she praised Alice's skill. Encouraged, the girl decided to experiment with the color pencils. Day by day, she improved her skill through trial and error, drawing still life images of things around the house. Each successful piece brought her further praise. Her confidence rose, but she still feared speaking to anyone. Words were sensitive and too easily misunderstood. She decided that drawing her thoughts would be more effective._

_Alice started with images from her dreams. Jeweled boxes with 'Eat Me' cakes, the wise old Caterpillar on a giant mushroom, the singing flowers, the White Queen. Each new drawing became more lifelike as she continued practicing, earning praises from Maria. But the nightmares still came. She thought that if she drew what she dreamed about, it would help the nightmares stop. Her art became darker, portraying a wicked looking Queen and a slithering beast in a wooded land. Maria became afraid, worried for Alice's sanity. Each day, the images became darker, more violent. The woman that Alice drew as the Queen of Hearts was kind in the beginning. But the more Alice drew her, the more darker and sinister she became, with hearts in her hand and a wide grin on her lips. Maria became truly frightened of the little girl._

_Justine finally came, at the request of Maria Parker. They took Alice to a psychiatrist, but soon afterwards, she was moved out of Corpus Christi. She never knew why, but she was quick to learn that Wonderland was something only she could believe in._

* * *

It was playtime at the orphanage. The yard wasn't very big, but there was a jungle gym, a sandbox and a vault bar. Small children played in the sandbox and three girls Alice's age were hanging off of the vault bar and perching themselves on it. Alice sat and watched from a nearby bench, content on reading _The Hobbit._ A girl with brown hair and pig tails came over to her.

"Hi. Are you new?" the girl asked. She was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt with a flower on it. Alice looked up from her book. The girl tilted her head curiously, "I'm Madison."

Alice only looked at Madison. She missed Belle and Ruby. It had only been a few days ago when she and Henry were at their house, making cakes and pillow forts with Mulan and Aurora. There was a different aura being around her big friends compared to the children at the orphanage. Just being around them felt different, like they were from another world. It comforted Alice and made her feel like she wasn't so alone. Everyone in Storybrooke made her feel that way. She wanted to go home. Alice missed the only people she trusted enough to call family.

The orphanage's matron, an older woman named Evelyn, came to where Madison had approached Alice. She put her hand on the other girl's shoulder, "Madison, why don't you go play with the other girls? Alice can't play right now."

Looking a little disappointed, Madison nodded, "Oh... okay." She turned and walked away, heading to the vault bar where the other girls were. Evelyn didn't stop to ask Alice anything or even acknowledge her. _Alice Chesshyre is a special case._ The line in her file was more than enough for Evelyn to know that the small blonde child should be left alone, that she was only brought outside for fresh air and sun. Alice turned back to her book, hoping to get lost in the world of Bilbo Baggins.

* * *

_Every family that Justine had brought Alice to was the same. They put up with her for a little bit, but after a few months, they begged Justine to take her to another home. She didn't fit in. The other children bullied her. Even if the foster parents tried to stop it, the torment never ended. The children were jealous of Alice's skill, they hated how she never spoke to them or how she didn't even acknowledge them. But Alice was afraid. Either way, she would be outcasted. _

_Justine moved her several times, hoping that Alice would be able to settle in with families that became available, even if it wasn't in a local area. She just wanted the little girl to open up and be a child. Although Alice never answered her, Justine encouraged her to keep drawing. She gave Alice a gift on Christmas, a watercolor paint set and a fresh canvas. It was only a few weeks later when Alice produced a painting of a gigantic chessboard with a King and Queen all in white. _

_In Baton Rouge, Alice took inspiration from the surrounding area, painting willow trees by the water, old historical buildings and the landscape of the American bayou. She thought if she stopped drawing pictures of Wonderland, the nightmares would stop. That she wouldn't have to return to the Queen of Hearts and risk losing her head. But three months passed and Justine came once again to take Alice away and place her in another home. The Gilford family she was with couldn't afford as many children as they took in and Alice was not as communicative as the other children were. They just didn't have the time for her._

_Her time in Baltimore was just as short. The Johns family was nice, but as soon as Alice was left to interact with the other children, she became too difficult to deal with. The family didn't understand why she wouldn't speak or communicate. She simply sat alone and read her books or drew in her sketchbook. They had taken in children with difficult backgrounds or with existing medical conditions, but Alice never seemed to have anything so obvious. She didn't scream or cry, she was just silent. _

_Barbara Johns was a God-fearing woman. Convinced that Alice was taken over by some curse or devil, she tried bringing the girl to church. Alice listened, but she didn't sing the hymns or pray with Barbara and the other foster children in the Johns home. She listened to the sermons and while many things they talked about were difficult for her to understand, she did find she agreed with one thing: that love was unconditional. Her father loved her like that, no rhyme or reason, it was just because he was her father. The families she had been with had only cared for her as a duty, but she longed for the smile of her father's face, even if she made mistakes. She missed him, their home, her life that was suddenly gone from her little hands._

_But she didn't want to participate in the Johns' religious activity. Alice felt like it wasn't her world, it wasn't meant for her to be there. Barbara Johns couldn't take it anymore. As much as she tried, she couldn't find a way for Alice to open up and behave like a normal girl. There was just no way._

_When Justine came to check on her again in three months, the Johns family was more than willing to let Alice move on to another home. They simply didn't click. _

* * *

The cold emptiness of the orphanage classroom was beginning to settle into her stomach. Alice wanted to go home to Storybrooke. She drew in her sketchbook that Regina had bought her. A page was ripped out where she had given the drawing of the apple tree and swan to her new mother and it was proudly displayed on the wall in the study next to Henry's perfect attendance award. Although the room had other children in it, Alice always sat in the back. If she drew during lessons, no one bothered to stop her. She didn't have the determination to do the schoolwork as she did with Snow. The young teacher had been kind to her, encouraging and treated her like family. It wasn't something that Alice understood or could explain, but everyone she met in Storybrooke seemed to understand her. Even when she became frightened at the man Regina spoke to that Alice was convinced was the Mad Hatter, Regina simply held her and stayed with her until she felt better. She wasn't locked in a room or left in a corner. She was cared for and loved. She missed that most of all.

Alice understood that one thing was different. In every family she had been in, she was dropped into, as if she were just another thing in a collection of imperfect things. But Emma and Regina, they had wanted her to stay with them. Ruby wanted to play with her, Belle wanted to read with her. Mulan and Aurora were happy to play with her and listen to her stories. Snow wanted to paint with her and David wanted to do arts and small craft projects with her. Henry wanted to to be her brother. That was what was different. They _wanted_ her there. The family she had grown to love in Storybrooke wanted her to be there.

When Justine came in the evening, Alice was asleep. She peeked her head into the room to find the girl buried under the thin blanket with her sketchbook on the ground. Justine picked it up, figuring that it had fallen from the bed where Alice fell asleep with it. She opened the pages and saw something completely different from the other pieces she had seen before. Alice drew dark, sinister images in the past. But everything after the ripped page was far from it. A diner with two smiling waitresses and a kind but grouchy looking woman. A police cruiser and a horse with an Asian woman perched on the horse in aviator sunglasses and a man with a kind smile. A pixie haired schoolteacher in front of a chalkboard. A pretty librarian with curly long hair. Each image had someone in it and they looked happy. It was an incredible change from what Justine had seen before from Alice. The last page that was drawn on was what made Justine stop and peer closely at it. In front of a white mansion stood a woman in jeans, jacket and long curly hair and a woman in a dark suit and heels with short wispy hair. Between them stood a young boy with a crooked smile. At corner of the page, Alice had written _family. _Justine knew who it was immediately. Even without Alice's incredible artistic skill, Justine understood that the picture was clearly Emma Swan and her new family with Regina Mills. Her heart hurt just slightly as she put the notebook away with a smile before leaving the room silently.

* * *

_The moment she set foot into the small family tract home of the Lewistons, Alice felt uneasy. It wasn't just that Rochester was such a remote place in New York, but something just felt wrong. The older boy in the house was the Lewistons' son. She was uncomfortable under his dark eyes every time he looked at her. There were two other foster children, both younger than herself. They looked equally unhappy except in front of social workers. Alice didn't like this home. Nothing felt real._

_She tried her best to stay out of trouble and under the radar. The first time she left a pencil on the floor, Mrs. Lewiston threw a fit. The house was impeccably clean at all times. If anyone had even moved something out of place, they were met with swift punishment and the back of a hand. But Alice was naturally clumsy. She had fallen into the habit of shutting her eyes tightly anytime she saw anyone's hand raised in the air. The son called her 'stupid' or 'retarded' for not speaking. But she wasn't deaf. His words hurt her more than his mother's hand. It was the worst house she'd ever been in. Her dreams took her to Wonderland, where she could escape. But even there, she felt more fear than she ever had before. It was as if the things that scared her in her waking hours, followed her into her dreamworld of Wonderland. No where was safe._

_Her artwork became darker. Alice found herself going through more and more pencils, just trying to make the image as dark as possible. Whether it was the grotesque scene of the Walrus devouring baby oysters or the maddening grin of the Cheshire Cat, each drawing was darker and more disturbing. Mrs. Lewiston made Alice sit outside all afternoon in the garage by herself when the sketchbook was discovered. Her book and pencils were confiscated until Justine came to check on the family. The visit would have been routine, probably resulting in Alice being sent off to another psychiatrist. But someone was watching over the children this time. Alice tripped and scraped her elbow. When Justine rolled up her sleeve to check the wound, she found more bruises than she could count. Alice thought she had made another mistake, another reason for her to not ever have a real family. The Hatter told her to behave, there were people who loved her. The Caterpillar said she was a good girl. The Queen of Hearts smiled at her on rare occasions. Alice would have done anything to return to Wonderland where the evils of the world she lived in would be a vague memory._

* * *

Justine Reyes walked into Alice's room for the fifth time in the short time she was in the orphanage. As always, Alice was perched on the bed, drawing. Her latest piece was one of the same schoolteacher and the smiling man. Justine sat down on the bed next to the girl. "Who's that you're drawing, Alice?"

Alice shrugged. She didn't feel like talking today. Not to anyone. The other children ignored her as did most of the orphanage staff. The matron came to check on her occasionally, but other than her visits with Justine, Alice was left in her room with her sketchbook and her bunny.

The dark haired woman smiled softly, "I'll be back in two days, Alice. I hear there's a new family for you. I think this one might be it, do you?" Finally putting her pencil down, she turned back into the book where she had drawn Henry, Regina and Emma in front of the white mayoral mansion. She held it up to Justine and shook her head. The woman frowned slightly, "Is this your family?"

Alice nodded. She closed the book and held it close to her, drawing her legs up to her chest and curling in upon herself. No family was ever going to be like the one she had with her father. He loved her dearly, so much that he sacrificed himself for her well being. But for the first time, she found a family she believed wanted her just as much as her father did. She felt like she belonged. Since he had passed, Alice had only ever wanted to leave. Now, for the first time in her young life, she wanted to go back.

Justine stood up from the bed. "I'll see you in a few days, Alice. Let's give this new family a chance, okay?"

Without looking up, Alice simply shrugged and picked up her book again, returning to her drawing.

* * *

_She was in a plain, grey and white room. Simple curtains and a single chair next to a window. The room itself was depressing. It was too clean, too sterile to be a child's room. It didn't take Alice long to realize that it was a room for 'bad children.' The ones that were 'difficult' to manage. She hated it. Alice had never hated anything so much._

_"One does not simply accept that things must remain as they are," the Queen of Hearts told Alice. "My dear, we are all going to have weak moments, but in order for things to change, we must make it happen ourselves."_

_For the first time, Alice understood what the Queen of Hearts had told her. The woman said many things, spoke of a life she didn't understand. She told Alice of a life, in another world, with a family that was always beyond her reach, but a life filled with magic and success. Most of the time, Alice nodded and kept quiet, since the Queen was quick to anger and even quicker with punishment. _

_She waited until it was playtime. Alice was smaller than the other children and it was often that she went unnoticed. In her simple blue dress and tired shoes, she crawled through a curl in the fencing around the orphanage. She didn't care where she was going, but anywhere was better than the orphanage or any of the families she was with. Portland wasn't a particularly busy place, but it was relatively easy to slip onto a bus with a crowd of people. _

_When the bus finally stopped, Alice found herself at a rural bus stop in front of a general store, right along the edge of a forest. She looked up and down the road, watching the bus head back towards Portland. Wherever the road would take her must be better than where she came from. As long as she followed it, she'd find someplace to be. _

_It wasn't a very busy road. Alice walked alongside it, careful to not step into any potholes. She was a clumsy girl and after tripping once or twice, she decided to walk on the pavement. The truck coming around the corner honked it's horn loudly as it careened down the path. The driver swerved to avoid Alice, sending the vehicle into a ditch where it harmlessly sat with spinning wheels. Alice ran into the forest where she sat down in a clearing and cried. She cried for her father, for all the families she disappointed, the ones that hated her, the children that despised her. She cried for the times she angered the Queen of Hearts, when the Hatter would go off on a raging mad tirade of riddles and nonsense. Alice cried for everything she kept inside, the painful things she tried to put to paper. She felt paralyzed, lost and wanting nothing more to go back to the life she had with her father. How long had it been? Alice could barely remember. She was halfway through first grade when he died. She didn't remember going to school much after that. A few schools here and there, in homes that she would stay in longer than a few months. She was always in special classes. She didn't make friends. She told herself she didn't need them. She had her friends in Wonderland._

_When the State troopers found her, she was still sitting in the clearing. She didn't answer them. It wasn't until someone else came along that she finally allowed her eyes to focus slightly._

_"Hey kiddo... um... do you have a name?" the person asked. Alice focused her eyes on a pretty blonde woman. Her eyes were full of concern, it was a look that Alice had seen many times. But the woman held her hand out, "I'm Emma."_

_Not sure what to do, she tilted her head slightly and responded, "Alice." She didn't understand why, but seeing the hand being held out to her seemed not so threatening. Something was different about this person. "It's nice to meet you, Alice. Do you want to come back to town with me?"_

_When Alice put her hand in Emma's, she felt relieved. As if all the things she had cried about were gone in the simple gesture of Emma's hand around hers. She followed the woman to the car and listened quietly as she called someone. "So, where are you from, Alice?" Emma asked suddenly._

_"Wonderland." Alice hadn't told anyone that in a very long time. But somehow, she felt that it was okay telling it to Emma. There was a questioning tone in Emma's voice when she repeated it. Alice thought that maybe Emma wouldn't believe her. It certainly wouldn't be the first time an adult didn't believe her. But she was more surprised that although Emma didn't say anything more about Wonderland, she simply promised to take care of her. Alice wasn't sure what to do or say. But something about the blonde told Alice that she understood. Impulsively, she hugged Emma. _

_The woman was gentle with her and held onto her hand as they walked up to a big white house, as large as the house in Toldeo. That house had bad memories. But when the door came flying open and a pretty dark haired woman began speaking in a frantic tone, Alice ducked behind Emma. The woman's eyes were intense and her voice was strong and commanding. Emma spoke with the woman for a few minutes, leading Alice into the house and sitting her on a couch. The house was very clean, but the walls weren't covered with art like the house in Toledo. There were pictures, family pictures of the woman and Emma, with a small boy. Sometimes there were other people in the pictures as well._

_"Alice, this is Regina, my very important partner. I have some things to take care of, but she'll be here with you. Will you be a good girl and listen to her while I'm away?" Emma asked. Alice looked at Emma for a moment before drifting her eyes up towards the other woman. The intensity of her eyes was gone and all Alice saw was a warm smile and soft brown eyes that looked kindly at her. "Hello, Alice. My name is Regina Mills. I was just about to bake cookies for dessert tonight, would you like to help me?" Alice watched her carefully for a moment. Adults who wanted something out of her always seemed to look away after asking things. Alice waited to see if Regina would do the same. When the woman's eyes never left her own, Alice nodded. Regina's hand went out to her and it was the same feeling she experienced when she put her hand in Emma's. Something felt different. It was hard to explain, but Alice felt safe for the first time in three years._

* * *

Justine had come to pick Alice up from the orphanage. She didn't have much, just the clothes she was wearing when she was brought to the orphanage, her bunny, sketchbook and pencils. Justine had brought her a small canvas bag to carry it in. As always, she had no idea where they were headed. All she did was get into the car and wait to arrive at her new home, praying the entire time that it wouldn't be as bad as the others had been.

The drive wasn't long, but she was tired. Alice was tired from sitting in that cold, sterile room all the time. She hated that orphanage. They treated her like she was some crazy child. The only thing she could do to get those things out of her head was sleep. Hoping to see Wonderland, Alice closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep in the car.

The car stopped a few times, shaking Alice from her car nap. She would check her surroundings briefly before curling up again and going back to sleep. She thought she felt herself being carried from one car to another. There was a familiar scent of jasmine and cedar in the air in front of her as the car door opened and Alice allowed herself to wake up. She hadn't been paying attention to the ride out at all. Justine was long gone and she wasn't in the tiny economy car that the social worker drove. Instead, she was sitting inside a black SUV. Mulan was in front of her with the door open.

"Good morning, young one. It is time to go home." Mulan announced. "I am sorry you had to leave. But I believe your family is waiting for you."

Alice's eyes went wide. She looked around frantically and immediately recognized the house behind Mulan. She threw her arms around the warrior's neck and hugged her. Smiling, Mulan lifted Alice out of the car just as the front door began to open.

Her feet moved faster than they ever had before. Just like in the picture she drew, Emma, Regina and Henry stood at the door waiting for her. Regina fell to her knees, holding her arms out as Alice came running into them. She felt the warm embrace of not only Regina, but Emma and Henry as well. For the first time, Alice was home.

* * *

_**I hope you guys liked this chapter! We're no where near the end! We've got to find out what happened in Storybrooke while Alice was gone, right?**_

_**As always, your reviews are welcome. Stay tuned for the next chapter! **_


	11. Chapter 11

**_I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to write this chapter. I've been incredibly busy with work, so I've kinda fallen behind. I haven't given up, I promise! Thanks for sticking through this and reading. _**

**_Usual disclaimer: I don't own OUaT or the characters. It's a fanfic. Of course._**

* * *

**The Price We Pay**

"I need your assistance, I'm willing to make a deal." Emma said as she leaned on the counter.

Gold grinned deviously, "Well then, dearie, you've come to the right place." His grin grew even wider as he moved around the counter. The sound of the cane hitting the wood floor sent a shiver through Emma's spine. She grit her teeth hard. No matter what it took, she'd do anything to put her family back together. Gold tilted his head, "Hmm... Now I really see it. Just how much you look like your parents. You've got a certain spark to yourself, Miss Swan. It's so very... Charming."

"I'm not here for your stupid jokes, Gold." Emma snapped.

The old imp chuckled, "Quite feisty, aren't we? What seems to be the trouble?" Emma took a deep breath, but before she could answer, Gold was speaking again. "This wouldn't happen to be about that little girl you and the Queen have been taking care of and play happy family with, is it?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at the man, "What are you playing at? What do you know about Alice?"

"Oh, nothing, dearie. She's a special little girl, isn't she? I've heard the town quite adores her." He waved his hand in the air. Emma half expected something to appear in a cloud of smoke, but nothing happened. Gold smirked. "What is it you would like for me to do?"  
The bell of the shop rang as the door swung open. Emma spun around to see Belle and Ruby standing in the doorway. Gold's jaw dropped slightly, "Belle..."

"Emma, what are you doing?" Ruby asked as she fixed her eyes on Gold. The Sheriff shook her head, "They took Alice... they took her back to the orphanage."

Gold lifted his hand out towards Belle. The woman looked up at him sadly. "Belle..."

She sighed softly, "Rumple, please... don't drag Emma into one of your schemes."

Ruby moved towards Emma, pulling her away from Gold towards the front of the store. Gold stuttered, "I... but..." He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath, then plastered on his usual grin, "She came to me, dearie."

"Belle, relax. He's right. I need his help to get Alice back... Regina's upset with me, she won't even let me in the door," Emma said, stepping forward again. She was pulled back by Ruby, who was nearly at the door in case they needed to make a break for it. Gold wasn't supposed to have magic left, but there was no telling with the old imp. Even Regina had faint traces of magic still hovering about her, barely enough to light a candle or turn a page in a book. Gold, however, was always a wild card.

The young librarian turned to Emma and shook her head, "We'll find another way, Em. But not like this."

Gold sneered and slammed his cane on the floor, "Is this how you want to play the game, Belle?! Just cast me aside after everything we have been through together?!"

Belle spun on her heel and sauntered up to him, staring intently into his dark eyes, "Yes, you greedy beast! You disappointed me, Rumple. You had a chance to make a difference when the curse broke! But you stuck to your same schemes and deals. I had faith in you and you didn't do anything to become a better person. Even Regina changed, why can't you!?" she snapped back.

"Because I'm the Dark One!" he shouted. Emma and Ruby backed up towards the door, almost feeling the heat of the angry fire that sparked between Belle and Rumplestiltskin.

"You're a coward!" Belle spat back.

"But Ruby-" Gold started. Ruby's eyes shot upward, threatening to burn holes into the man's head.

Before Ruby could pounce on him, Belle was on him again with a sharp tone, "It has nothing to do with Ruby! I know you're not a monster, so stop acting like one!"

"You chose a real beast over me!"

Belle's eyes shifted from anger to sadness in a moment. She shook her head, her eyes misting slightly. "No... you were a man once. A good man who was just too afraid to be stronger. All you had to do was let go and have faith in this world, in this life... in us. You were a good man who was too afraid to stray from the easy path. Ruby is much stronger than you, Rumple. Her heart is far stronger than yours ever could be. I can't be with someone who can't stand on their own two feet." She turned away from him and walked towards the door.

"Belle, wait..." Gold hobbled forward, lightly tapping his cane.

"I'm sorry, Rumple..." she replied before taking Ruby's hand and leaving the shop with the werewolf and the Sheriff in tow.

Gold stood in the center of his shop, gripping his cane hard, desperately fighting the tears that would weaken him.  
Ruby, Belle and Emma walked down the street toward's Granny's where Emma had left her car. She stopped suddenly and looked at them, "How did you two know I was at Gold's?"

"We saw you go in. We were on our way for a walk after breakfast when we saw you go in. Mulan... kinda told us what was going on. She's beating herself up over it." Ruby explained.

"I shouldn't have yelled at her," Emma sighed. "I was just... Belle, Ruby... what am I going to do? My ex took Alice away, Regina's pissed off at me and she's upset. I know she's hurting and I can't even get in the door."

"Where's your key?" Belle asked curiously.

"I usually keep it in the flower pot outside of the house. But since I have a bad habit of losing my keys, I'm always supposed to put them on the table in the entry when I get home. I kept the house key outside in the flower pot in case Henry needed to get in if we're not home. I think Regina moved it after she kicked me out." Emma sat down on a bench outside of Granny's, holding her head in her hands. "I can't... I'm worried about her and Alice... I haven't been to my parents' place yet. I'm sure my mom already knows. Was Henry still with her?"

Ruby nodded, "We got back early this morning so I could hit the breakfast shift. Henry was still sleepy, so Snow said she'd take him home after a nap. I don't think Snow knows what happened with Alice."

Emma shook her head, "My dad was there...he's just as gossipy as my mom is. I'm sure he told her already." As if by clockwork, Emma's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and frowned at Snow's image and number on the screen. "See?"

Belle and Ruby exchanged a look before stepping away from Emma so she could talk on the phone. Ruby shuffled her feet awkwardly and kept her eyes on the ground. "Are...are you okay, Belle?"

The librarian looked up into Ruby's eyes and smiled. "I'm fine, why?"

"It's just... The thing with Gold...are you okay after that?"

Belle shrugged, "That was past. I wasn't joking about wanting to be with someone who's strong, Ruby. I don't find weaknesses attractive and overcoming your weaknesses shows strength. Rumple had his chance...then I fell in love with you." She reached up and pressed her hand to Ruby's cheek. The brunette smiled softly.

"I love you, too. I love it when you read to me, when we spend our quiet time together, even when we're just sitting at home and watching television. I just like being near you. It's all I need." Ruby leaned forward and met Belle halfway in a soft kiss.

A small cough behind them caused Belle to pull back and peek past Ruby at Emma. The Sheriff frowned slightly, "Sorry... I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay, Emma. Is everything all right with Snow?" Belle asked quietly.

"She's a blubbering mess. My mom really took to Alice as much as Regina did. I think she really liked being Grandma to her and Henry."

"We love your kids, Em. Whatever it takes, we'll help you get Alice back. I'm sure Mulan and Aurora will help, too." Ruby added.

"Thanks. I'm going to go back to the house and see if Regina at least picked up breakfast. I'm worried about her."

Belle and Ruby nodded. Emma said her thanks and goodbyes before heading back to her car. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"We have to help get Alice back. Emma and Regina live for their kids...they're not the same without them." Belle replied. "Let's go talk to Mulan and Aurora. I'm sure they can help."

"You're so smart, I'm way too lucky to have you."

Belle laughed before turning to Granny's front door. "And don't you forget it, Ruby Lucas."

* * *

Slamming the door on Emma was the last thing Regina wanted to do. But it felt as if her body acted on its own, taking out her frustration and anger in the form of making sure her girlfriend was hurting just as much as she was. She slid down against the door, wrapping her arms around her body as if it would protect her from the overwhelming pain. It wasn't just in her heart. The pain reached every inch of her body, traveling on the faintest tendrils of magic that still existed beneath her skin.

This pain was one she knew all too well. The pain of loss, which Regina had seen many times in her life, was something she had become used to dealing with alone. But she knew that on her own, she made poor decisions when faced with the same conflict. She wanted Emma beside her. If there was anything worse than having to suffer through this, it was having to do it alone.

She felt the pounding of the door against her back and heard Emma's stubborn voice as she insisted on staying on the porch. Her lover was incredibly hard headed. But two could play at that game as Regina pushed herself off of the floor and dragged her tired body to the bedroom.

Passing by Alice's room, she stopped in the doorway. It was too soon, too fresh in her mind for it to not hurt. Regina turned sharply away from the door and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. The walls shook slightly and the small digital frame that sat on the dresser fell over. Regina uprighted it, frowning at the small crack that had formed on the corner of the screen. Her own strength surprised her at times, completely unaware of the physical power she could put out on occasion.

She peered out of the window and saw Emma walking back to her car. Regina was slightly disappointed that the blonde Sheriff didn't continue to guard the front door of the house. A part of her wanted to see Emma continue to fight for her. She wanted to see Emma struggle to protect what they had. Her parents had done it countless times, why could Emma Swan do the same?

Regina ducked out of view as Emma turned and looked up at the window. Regina scolded herself for being so childish. Having no appetite, no desire left for anything, Regina collapsed on the bed, stretching across the entire width as much as she could. The room was lonely without Emma. The house itself felt as cold and empty as her castle had been in the Enchanted Forest. Regina rolled over and slipped out of bed to peek outside the window. Emma was nowhere to be seen, but the yellow bug still sat in front of the house.

Frustration built up inside of Regina's head as she curled up on the bed again, wrapping her arms around Emma's pillow. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of Emma's shampoo on the pillow. She wished that they could go back, even twenty four hours back, when Alice was still with them, Emma didn't have some mysterious ex-girlfriend and their family was together. Just when Regina felt she had it all together, her world shattered around her.

It was the rumbling of her stomach that woke Regina in the early morning. She had fallen asleep in her suit, makeup smeared across her eyes and the bedroom lights still on. Her body ached from the stress and she felt exhausted, even though she slept.

She searched for her phone, finding it on the floor beside the bed where it had fallen in the night. She called her secretary and let her know she wasn't coming in for the day. The mayor was in no mental condition to focus on work. All she wanted was to go down the hallway and find Alice and Henry asleep in their rooms, to roll over on the bed and curl up next to Emma. But she was alone, unable to ignore the coldness that had settled within the house. She slid out of bed and peeked outside. Emma's car was gone. Her phone buzzed with a reminder that she had a missed text message.

_Can we talk? I'm sorry about yesterday. Regina, I miss you. I left you breakfast on the porch. Call me?_

Regina frowned at the message, glaring intensely at the screen as if it were an offensive light in her hands. She wanted to call Emma right away. Her chest hurt from the loneliness, but her heart raced to know that Emma was missing her. Clutching her phone to her chest, she decided she'd call Emma later. If there was one thing devious thing she still did regularly, it was keep Emma Swan baited on a string. It wasn't that the Sheriff hadn't caught on to her game, but they had continued this on and off teasing as a part of their flirting. Emma had admitted one time that she enjoyed it; it made her feel like there was always a challenge. And a Charming can't resist a challenge.

After changing into a pair of Emma's track pants and a t-shirt, Regina quietly went down the stairs to the front door. She peeked into the peephole to see if anyone was outside before opening the door to find a white paper bag with oil stains at the bottom. It had to be a greasy pastry from Granny's, a tell tale sign that Emma was trying to get her to eat something.

"Seriously... that woman and her ridiculous diet..." Regina mumbled to herself as she picked up the bag. She opened it up and looked inside at the bearclaw. "It's so very Emma Swan..." A tiny smile crept up on her face as she retreated into the house with the bag.

Although depression normally left her without an appetite or a desire to do anything except lie in bed, this time was different. She didn't want to lie in bed, half of it still smelled like Emma's perfume. She didn't even want to walk down the hallways upstairs so she wouldn't have to see Alice's empty room. Just thinking about the girl made Regina hurt. In her heart, she had already made Alice part of her family, thought of her as one of her children. Despite that, she knew that Alice would've had to return to the orphanage or wherever she had come from. But that was neither here nor there. When Regina Mills decided on something, god forbid anything get in her way to accomplish her set goal.

She made herself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen counter, staring at the excessively sweet and large bearclaw on a plate in front of her. Regina toyed with her phone in her other hand, debating on whether or not to call Emma. She wanted someone to talk to. The phone began ringing in her hand, causing her to fumble with it to keep it from falling on the ground. Without looking at the screen clearly, she pressed the answer button and put the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Regina!" Kathryn's voice came through the phone in a bright, cheerful tone.

"Kathryn..."

Quickly picking up on the strain in Regina's voice, Kathryn pressed for more information, "What's wrong? You don't sound like yourself."

"They took Alice."

"What?! Who?"

Regina sighed. She thought she wanted to talk to someone about what happened but now that she had Kathryn on the phone, she felt exhausted. "One of Emma's exes."

"I don't understand. Why would Emma's ex take Alice? Where is she? Wait, where's Emma?"

Pushing the bearclaw to the side, she laid her head on her arm as she listened to Kathryn's voice on the phone. "Alice's social worker is Emma's ex. She took Alice back to the Portland orphanage. But... I don't know, I was pissed off with Emma because she didn't fight off her ex or tell her that we're together. She just stood there like some imbecile while that harlot, Mulan and Mother Superior took Alice away from me."

"Emma didn't do anything? That doesn't sound like her at all, Regina. She's usually so... sorry to say this, but a bit obnoxious. Kind of like her parents."

"I know. I think that's why I was so angry with her. Emma's usually the type to fly of the handle and the one time she doesn't is when I wanted her to. But she actually held me back!" Regina sighed in frustration, "I just want my family back, Kathryn."

The woman on the phone seemed to audibly nod, not fully understanding Regina's pain but at least understanding enough that she could sympathize. "We're friends, Regina, and I'm going to help you as much as I can. But I really think you should talk to Emma. You can't just be mad at her."

Regina huffed, "She let that woman take Alice!"

"You're usually so level headed. Think clearly, Regina! Oh god, if you're this worked up, then I can only imagine what sort of insanity that Emma might resort to." Kathryn sighed through the receiver.

"What do you mean?"

"Regina, we're talking about the woman who pushed you out of the way to save you from a wraith and it sent her into the Enchanted Forest. I wouldn't put it past her to be halfway to Portland right now." Regina paused, letting Kathryn's words sink into her head. She was right, somewhat. Emma did tend to make irresponsible decisions. Thinking back on the day before, Emma was the one thinking clearly, not her. Regina knew Emma stopped her from fighting for Alice to preserve their chances of adopting her. But at the time, all she could think of was how angry she felt and how hurt she was. This morning, everything made a bit more sense. "Hey... Regina, I know you love Emma. Just stop being so stubborn and give her a chance. You both can do a lot on your own, but I've seen the two of you together. As a couple, you and Emma are amazing. It's like the whole town exists on your combined ability alone to be leaders."

"I don't want to be responsible for all of these peasants." Regina snorted arrogantly, her tone reverting to her haughty Evil Queenliness.

"You know what I mean. Talk to Emma, work things out between you two and then put a plan together to get Alice back. Just... do me a favor and don't get caught up in her family's way of doing things. Running in head first into Portland and breaking down doors is not going to get anyone anywhere."

Regina rolled her eyes, "It's almost as if you're the one dating her, not me."

"Well, with everything you share with me, sometimes I think I am."

A small laugh found its way past Regina's lips, "The Savior belongs to me, Kathryn."

"I know, you can keep her. She's not my type."

"Thank you, Kathryn."

"For what?"

Regina smiled, "For being my friend... and talking to me about this."

"Well, actually I called to see if you were at the office and wanted to get lunch. But I think you have more important things to take care of."

"I do. But still, thank you."

"Anytime, Regina. Call me if you need anything. I'm here to help."

After hanging up the phone, Regina looked at the bearclaw on the counter. She smiled as she picked up the plate and put it into the microwave to heat it up. She hated using the machine, but it did help once in awhile. She felt better, knowing that what Emma decided to do yesterday was to protect them, not to hinder her. For once, Regina admitted to herself that she was wrong. Her stomach growled as the microwaved beeped, letting her know that her bearclaw was at nuclear temperature. She decided that after she ate, she'd call Emma. There was nothing more she wanted at that moment than to have the blonde with her and her children at home.

* * *

Belle sat in the library with Aurora, nursing a hot cup of tea. The princess tilted her head curiously, watching Belle contemplate the thoughts that garbled themselves in her head. Aurora looked down at her own cup and frowned. She was off from the diner today, eager to see her friends. But after yesterday, she wasn't sure what sort of state their little group would be in. Belle was clearly lost in her own thoughts. Mulan had been exceptionally emotional and upset after having turned Alice over to the social worker that the young deputy had thrown herself full force into work. Especially with Emma being relatively useless.

"We have to help them." Belle said suddenly.

Aurora jumped slightly, shaken by Belle's clear voice. "I..I beg your pardon?"

"Emma and Regina. We have to help them get Alice back."

The princess's eyes fell down to her cup again. "Oh... I don't mind helping Emma...but Regina..."  
Belle shook her head, "She isn't as bad as she seems, Aurora. I heard from Ruby that she said some pretty rude things to you when you first met her...and well, Regina can be like that sometimes. But once you get to know her, she's really a nice person."

"She insulted Mulan and Phillip!" Aurora argued. She folded her arms across her chest and turned her head away from Belle in defiance. Belle stifled a giggle behind her hand and she watched Aurora's tantrum unfold. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just..." Belle giggled again, trying to keep a straight face. "It's no wonder that you and Regina didn't get along right away. Listen, Aurora, if you're really going to fit into Storybrooke, you're going to have to do away with the 'princess' act."

"It is not an act, I am truly a princess."

Belle smiled and raised her hands in a nonchalant shrug, "So are Emma and Ashley. Regina and Snow are queens. But we don't hold on to any of that here in Storybrooke. Everyone's just living, no royalty, no archaic laws."

"I don't understand, Belle. If our royal heritage means nothing, then what is the purpose here?"

Belle raised her head in thought, "The purpose? Well... I think we all like it because for once, no one is above anyone else. We're essentially equal. Even though Regina is the Mayor and Emma is the Sheriff.. or that Gold is influential, it doesn't make them any less human than the rest of us. That's the beauty of it."

Aurora unfolded her arms and placed her hands delicately in her lap. She rolled Belle's words around in her head, trying to process the idea. No status, no lineage... none of it mattered here. It wasn't a terrible idea, but it certainly was a foreign one. Aurora looked up and frowned, "If Regina is not Queen, then why does she feel she has the right to be so condescending?"

"Regina... is working on her social skills. Emma's helped her come a long way." Belle smiled, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Aurora... Don't be afraid and hold your ground. She'll respect you more. Also, Regina likes talking about books and art, but she won't ever tell you that. It'll be a way to get on her good side when you get the chance."

Aurora nodded, wondering if the chance would ever come up. She wanted to have friends in Storybrooke. Even Mulan had no trouble finding somewhat equal footing with Regina. However her chance came sooner than she expected.

The doors of the library swung open quietly and Regina Mills poked her head into the room in the most uncharacteristic manner. Belle stood up immediately and moved towards the door, her face contorting in concern. Firstly, no one expected to see Regina out of the house so soon after yesterday. Secondly, the timid way she let herself into the library was so unlike her that Belle almost thought the woman standing in front of her was a doppleganger of the Mayor of Storybrooke. Third... well, Belle was quite shocked to find that Regina was wearing track pants, sneakers and a blue Storybrooke Police Department t-shirt. Belle smirked, Regina was still wearing Emma's clothes.

"Um... hello, Regina." Belle said softly.

Regina straightened her back and held out a children's book. "I... Alice borrowed this from you, I believe. I didn't want it to be late." Belle took note of how Regina's neck moved as she swallowed a dry sob that had eased its way up into her throat. But the usually proud Mayor held her head up and fought the emotion that threatened to control her. She held the book out again. "I take it the entire town knows what's going on, then?"

Belle shook her head, "Actually, no... I only found out this morning because Ruby and I found Emma at Gold's."

Regina's brown eyes went wide for a moment before her lips curled up in a sneer, "Emma was at Gold's?!"

"Wait, calm down, Regina..." Belle started.

"Listen here, you little bookworm... you're going to tell me where the hell Emma is right now or I will end you and your little library!" Regina barked. She caught Aurora shrinking back in her seat in the corner of her eye.

But Belle was quick on the return, "No, you listen, Regina! You can't just come storming into anywhere and making demands. That isn't how things work here anymore and we're not in your kingdom! Now sit down!" She snatched the book from Regina's hands and with one foot, slid a chair in front of the older woman.

Regina glared at Belle as she sat down. She wanted information, specifically about what Emma was doing at Gold's. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Catching Aurora's movements again, Regina snapped her gaze over to the princess. Unlike before, although Aurora was near trembling in her seat, her eyes were focused and watching the other woman carefully. Regina took a breath and held her head high again.

A steaming cup of tea was suddenly in front of her face in a delicate white cup and saucer. She looked up and saw the face of Belle smiling at her. "Drink this."

"What... are you doing?"

The librarian rolled her blue eyes and smiled as Regina took the cup. "Serving you tea, Madame Mayor." She watched as Regina gave the tea some careful consideration before she brought the cup to her lips. After taking a drink of the warm liquid, her shoulders visibly relaxed and she leaned slightly back into the chair. "There now. Better?"

"I apologize for yelling at you, Belle. I really only meant to return the book." Regina said quietly.

"Emma was looking for a way to get Alice back." Belle answered without being asked. Regina's head snapped up as well as Aurora's.

"Ruby and I convinced her not to do anything with Gold. When she left this morning she said she was going home, presumably to check on you."

Holding the cup in her hands, Regina lowered her head. As much as she wanted to inquire more about Emma, there was still the issue of Aurora staring at her intently. They had gotten off to a rough start, the blame all falling upon Regina's shoulders. She couldn't say why she was so hostile in the first place. There had been quite a few transplants from the Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke over the last year, but none had really encroached upon her personal circle until Aurora and Mulan showed up. She respected Mulan, to an extent, since the young soldier was able to stand her ground against the Mayor. But Aurora had shrunk under Regina's icy gaze and it was her weakness that irritated Regina the most. Looking at her now, the princess was much more settled than the first time they crossed paths. While she was still slinking back in her chair, her head was high and her eyes focused.

"Aurora," Regina began quietly. "I... want to apologize for the way I addressed you. I'm not very good at establishing relationships with others."

The princess's eyes shifted slightly as the shock ran through her body. She was not expecting to hear an apology from Regina Mills, of all people. Aurora lowered her head slightly. "I was rather upset that time. But... I do want to make this place my home and I would not enjoy it so much if you disliked me, Madame Mayor."

"You may call me 'Regina," the woman interrupted.

"Regina... would it be all right if we started over? Umm..." Aurora nervously held her hand out to the woman, though her hand shook as if she were reaching out to pet a spider. "I'm Aurora."

Taking a slow breath, as such a gesture was far below what she was used to doing, Regina took Aurora's hand in her own. "Regina Mills, Deputy Mayor of Storybrooke. Welcome to town."

Aurora's eyes lit up as she smiled, appreciating the effort that the woman with the notoriously hardened heart was putting forward. "I want to help you however I can."

Belle smiled and nodded, "We were just discussing what was going on yesterday. Regina, we all adore Alice and we think she belongs here in Storybrooke with us. So whatever we can do, just tell us."

Regina's eyes darkened as her face reflected the sadness in her heart. "I don't know what to do..."

"Mulan is very upset after yesterday. She feels guilty and has been pacing the apartment since she came home." Aurora added.

"Well, she should be!" Regina spat. "Not only did Emma let her ex-lover say whatever she wanted, she let her subordinate take Alice. That girl belongs in my family, there isn't anything that anyone can say that will convince me otherwise. She must have something against us."

"Regina, Mulan already feels terrible. I don't think she wanted to do it, but I think it was also her dutiful nature that made her." Belle said softly. "We really have to work on your paranoia."

The brunette put her cup down on the desk and folded her arms across her chest. "I am not paranoid."

Aurora picked up her cup of tea again and took a sip at it, frowning that it had gone a bit cold. "Mulan isn't the type to want to hurt others. She respects both you and Emma."

Regina frowned. Perhaps they were right. She was always suspecting that everyone was out to get her. It came from years of being the target of angry mobs, assassination attempts and general animosity. While she had brought it on herself by the crimes she committed, she never really felt the effects until now.

All of this emotion was getting to her. Regina was well acquainted with people hating her. She wondered how she and Belle had come to some sort of friendly terms after she imprisoned the girl in a hospital room for twenty eight years. Now Aurora, who had been asleep under the effects of Maleficent's sleeping curse, was offering her friendship to the once Evil Queen. She picked up her cup again, but instead of drinking the warm tea, she simply held it in her hands and sighed.

"First things first," Belle spoke up with conviction. "We get you and Emma back together. There won't be a family for Alice to come home to if you two don't make up. You're what she knows is her family, right? You two have done a lot in these past few weeks to build that with her, no point in letting it go now. Unless... Emma didn't cheat on you with that woman, did she?!"

Regina shook her head. "No, it's not that... that woman was from before Emma came to Storybrooke. I spoke to Kathryn this morning. She said I needed to speak to Emma."

"I agree with her." Belle said firmly. "You've got to get this stuff out into the open, Regina. No good will come out of you holding it all in and expecting Emma to understand."

"I do miss her..." Regina admitted quietly. Belle was surprised to hear the honesty in the older woman's voice. "But I... I kind of kicked her out of the house. I shouldn't have but I was so angry that I couldn't stop myself."

"Wouldn't it be simple enough to just open the door for her again?" Aurora asked.

Belle couldn't help but grin. The ridiculously simple suggestion was more than enough to make Regina flap her mouth open like a fish as she processed the thought. It wasn't easy for Regina to understand that things could be handled through a simple gesture. Not everything in the world required careful planning and scheming, that some things were solved with a few words. Regina stood up suddenly, setting the teacup down on the desk again.

"I.. I have to go. Thank you, for the tea, Belle." She tilted her head upwards, regaining her usual regality. "Have a good day, ladies."  
With a playful smirk, Belle raised her hand and waved. "Take care, Regina. Give me a call if you need anything." Aurora waved shyly as Regina left the library. "That was easier than I thought. You're pretty good at this."

Aurora narrowed her eyes at Belle, her brow showing all signs of confusion. "I don't understand."

"It was coincidence that she came over here, but I was hoping to run into Regina anyways. I have an idea to help them get Alice back, but I'm going to need everyone's help. Including yours. But the first step is to get Regina and Emma to make up."

Aurora nodded slowly, not quite understanding what Belle was getting at, but at least appreciating the involvement in whatever this plan would consist of. "So what do we do now?"

The librarian smirked, her blue eyes shining brightly. "Let's finish our tea and find Mulan. She's got the most important role of all."

* * *

Emma had driven up and down every road in town, trying to buy herself time before she parked in front of the familiar white mansion. Any time she fought with Regina, volatile sparks definitely flew in the air. She knew coming face to face with her girlfriend now would likely end up causing an unnatural fire or something like that. Sighing heavily, Emma rested her forehead on the steering wheel of the old bug.

Everything felt so natural in its course that Emma never took the time to pinpoint exactly why she was with Regina. When she first arrived in Storybrooke, she immediately felt the seething hatred that hovered around Regina like some sort of hostile cloud. But somewhere down the way, between solving murders that never happened and jumping through magical portals, she had begun to care about her son's adoptive mother. Or rather, she at least made the effort to ensure that no harm came to Regina Mills. Was it when she found her at the base of a tree, smiling up at her as she climbed out of the well? Or was it during one of the many nights that she dropped Henry off for dinner at the house? Whenever it occurred, Emma had decided that she couldn't imagine a day without Regina in it.

It had been barely a day but Emma was definitely feeling the tug of loneliness at her heart strings. First off, sleeping in her car was not fun, now that she knew what sleeping in a California king felt like. Under some billion thread count Egyptian cotton with the warmth of someone at her side. That definitely beat out sleeping in her bug, although she had done that plenty of times. Second, she hated that things went unresolved. Emma Swan was a doer, a fixer, a job finisher. She never left things hanging. But when it was something important, here she was half-assing it.

Emma banged her forehead on the steering wheel. She hated that Regina didn't even give her the chance to explain herself. But despite her frustration, she knew she still loved her. She loved the little family they had built together with Henry and Alice. It was all Emma ever wanted and she wasn't about to let all of that fall to the wayside. Grabbing her phone and yanking the keys out of the ignition, she got out of the car and stalked to the door. She checked the planter to see of she had possibly missed the key that was usually hidden there. Not finding what she was looking for, Emma turned towards the door.

"Regina, open the door!" she shouted to the wood blocking her way. "I want to talk. I can't just leave things like this!" She was pretty sure that if Regina was still pouting in the bedroom, she'd hear her through the window right above the porch. Emma sighed. "Look, I know you're mad at me and that Justine took Alice away. But I couldn't... I couldn't do anything! You have no idea how badly I wanted to take down Justine and Mulan so they wouldn't take Alice, but if I did... Blue was right there! She'd have reported it to the judge and we'd never be able to adopt her." Emma leaned forward against the door, "I went to Gold this morning to try and find a way to get Alice back. Nothing happened, Belle and Ruby showed up and Belle kinda got into it with Gold, so I didn't make any deals with him. I'll do anything for this family, Regina. You and Henry and Alice... you mean too much to me. I don't want to lose any of you. I don't care what it takes, but I'm going to make sure that everything gets put back together."

"Emma, what are you doing?"

The Sheriff spun around, nearly losing her footing and ended up with her back against the door. Regina was standing on the porch behind her in unusually casual clothes.

"You... weren't home?"

"Does it look like I was home?" Regina snapped back, folding her arms across her chest. "I decided to walk to the library. I had to... Alice borrowed a book from Belle, I wanted to make sure it got returned. You haven't answered my question. What were you doing?"

"I was trying to talk to you. Well, trying to convince you to let me in. Wait, how much did you hear?"

Regina shrugged, "Everything. I was coming up the street when you started yelling at the front door. Why didn't you let yourself in?"

Emma frowned, "You hid my key. The one in the planter?"

The older woman sighed, "No, I didn't. You put it on your keyring when you moved in two weeks ago." Emma blinked a few times in confusion before she reached for her keys in her pocket and pulled them out. There, nestled between her car key and office key, was the house key that used to sit inside the planter. She had forgotten that she pulled it out of her pocket one night and made a show of adding it to her keyring to make the move somewhat official. Regina sighed. "Is that why you didn't come in last night?"

Looking up sheepishly at her girlfriend, Emma nodded slowly. "I'm sorry... I... well, I was just so used to getting it out of the planter... and since I moved in, you've always been home first so the door was unlocked."

Regina stepped closer to her and Emma expected to go head to head with the one person who could get under her skin. She was a little surprised when Regina pressed her body against her, wrapping her arms around her waist and burying her face into Emma's neck. "You're an idiot. But I'm sorry, too... about yesterday. Emma, I can't do this without you. This family isn't the same without you in it. I reacted too quickly yesterday. I was so upset about them taking Alice that the thing with you..and the social worker.. it just pissed me off." Regina sighed softly. Her breath tickled Emma's skin slightly, but the blonde put her hands on her girlfriend's shoulders and pushed back gently. Regina scowled from the separation.

"I want to get one thing straight, Regina. There is nothing between me and Justine. That was years ago. I was shocked yesterday, but that doesn't mean that what we have is nothing to me. You piss me off, you make me laugh, I smile when I see you, you raised our son, you made me a better person, even if you didn't do any of it on purpose. Let's face it, you really are my True Love and I'm totally banking on the fact that my dad said that true love is never wrong." She wrapped her arms around Regina's shoulders, drawing the other woman against her body again. "Jesus Christ, Regina... it's only been one night and I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed you."

Regina remained quiet as she slipped her arms around Emma's waist again. They stood there together for some time with the morning sun beginning to rise higher in the sky and warming the world around them from the cold chill of early winter.  
Emma finally broke the silence between them with a goofy smile. "I see you picked up breakfast. Did you actually eat it?"

"No. I was going to... but I got turned off by the amount of grease on the bag."

"Those bearclaws are great, aren't they?"

Regina laughed quietly, "Your eating habits are terrible, Miss Swan." She looked up and shook her head at the familiar crooked grin on her lover's face.

"At least Henry and Alice don't eat like me."

"Henry tries to," Regina pointed out. "But at least he finishes his vegetables, unlike his mother."

Emma laughed this time and kissed Regina's forehead, rising slightly on her toes. Resting her head on the crook of the sheriff's neck, Regina sighed softly, tickling the sensitive skin below the blonde's ear. She kissed the same spot, smiling to herself as Emma tilted her head slightly to allow her better access to continue. "I love you," Regina whispered.

"I love you too, Regina." Smiling proudly to herself, Emma wrapped her arms around the other woman even tighter. The former Queen had always returned Emma's declarations of love in equal measure, but it was rare for her to say it first. They fought and bickered frequently, constantly nagging at each other and nitpicking at every little thing. But they hadn't had a fight like this one in quite some time. It was the times like this, in the aftermath of their storm-like quarrel, that the quiet affirmation of love was all they needed. A reminder, in their darkest moments, that the other was still there, still in love and holding out her hand, waiting to pick up and move forward together.

Regina slowly pulled away from the Sheriff. "Let's go inside. There's a California king bed waiting for you because knowing you, I don't think you got much sleep last night in the car."

"You saw that?"

"I know you saw me in the window."

"I kinda know when you want to be alone." Emma shrugged.

Regina watched as Emma stood there with her hands in her pockets. She cleared her throat loudly, "Miss Swan, you have the key."

"Oh! Right... I forgot." As she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, she felt Regina's hands slide around her waist and up the front of her shirt. "Um... we haven't even gotten into the house yet."

"Then hurry upstairs. Your mother sent me a text, she'll be bringing Henry by this afternoon. You have approximately four hours to make up for me sleeping alone last night." Regina smirked as she followed Emma inside, her hands still working her way up the blonde's blouse.

Emma glanced over her shoulder at the other woman and smirked. "You're on."

* * *

Mulan sat nervously in front of Justine Reyes as the social worker read through each letter in the large dark yellow manila envelope in her lap. The warrior had finished her tea and was patiently waiting to hear what the woman had to say. It had been two days since Alice was sent away to Portland and Mulan felt responsible. She wanted to help Alice come home, so she sought out Ruby and Belle to give her advice. With Aurora, the four women had gone around Storybrooke to people they knew who had seen Alice with Regina or Emma and asked for a letter of recommendation regarding their parenting status.

Justine's eyes flew over the letters one by one. When she received the call from Mulan, she wasn't sure what to expect. She had thought that this would be one of Emma's half-baked plans to get her way, but after reading through the letters and watching the town before she arrived at Granny's, she had the gut feeling that neither Emma nor Regina knew what was going on. Justine read carefully though a letter written on expensive looking paper.

_To the Department of Child Welfare Services,_

_My name is Archie Hopper. I am a psychiatrist in the town of Storybrooke. While I have seen many strange things and cases in my years, none have been quite as profound as the situation of Alice Chesshyre. As a psychiatrist, I see where she suffers from social anxiety disorder and finds difficulty in trusting others. However, in the short time that she lived in Storybrooke under the care of Mayor Regina Mills and Sheriff Emma Swan, Alice has quickly changed from being a shy, scared little girl to a fascinating child who adores the women who love her. It is in my professional opinion that Alice remains in Storybrooke as the ward of Mayor Regina Mills and Sheriff Emma Swan until further adoption arrangements are made. I feel that it is within the best interest of Alice's education, social interaction and well being that temporary custody be granted to Miss Mills and Miss Swan._

_Sincerely,  
Dr. Archie Hopper, PhD._

Justine moved on to the next letter, reading each line carefully. She didn't notice Ruby peeking out from behind the pair of doors that separated the kitchen and the dining room of the diner.

"What are they doing?" Aurora asked from behind Ruby. She and Belle were hiding in the kitchen while Ruby kept a lookout.

"Mulan is literally twiddling her fingers. The social worker is reading the letters." Ruby explained. "Looks like she's reading Snow's...why did she have to use pink paper?"

_Your Honor,_

_As a schoolteacher and parent, I have seen many children in very different families. When Alice came to us in Storybrooke, she was silent, disconnected and essentially a very sad and hurt child. But the love and devotion that Emma Swan and Regina Mills have given this girl have significantly changed her in a very short time. Alice has amazing artistic ability and is a bright and curious child. She has so much potential that can only be fostered in a home that supports her fully. I have looked into Alice's education level and while she is behind in some essentials such as mathematics, she excels in literature and art. I honestly believe that Regina and Emma are the ideal parents in order to cultivate her potential.  
I highly recommend Regina Mills and Emma Swan as the designated foster parents of Alice Chesshyre until adoption is settled._

_Sincerely Yours,  
Mary Margaret Blanchard_

Justine put the letters down and looked up at Mulan. "I'm impressed. You got all these together?"

"I would not have done it without the help of my friends. The people of this town care greatly for each other and they are all eager to help Mayor Mills and Sheriff Swan," Mulan replied, stiffening in her seat.

After nodding slowly to indicate that she understood, Justine sat back and folded her arms. "So you want me to take these letters to the judge in the child welfare office and convince him to let Alice live here until she's adopted? You do know that Emma and her girlfriend applied to adopt her, right?"

"I am aware."

"You do realize that this look suspicious, like they're behind this rather large amount of letters." Justine picked up the letters one by one, "I'm surprised at the diversity of the people who have given letters. A psychologist, a school teacher, a handyman, a nun, two waitresses, and business owners? It's not that I don't believe you, but to a judge who doesn't know anything about what's going on, it's going to look like Regina and Emma put all this together."

Mulan stood up, pushing her chair back and leaning forward across the table. "Then I shall swear my honesty on it!"

Justine smiled, "Actually, that's what I was about to suggest."

"I do not understand," Mulan replied slowly as she sat down in her chair again.

"I want you to come to Portland to me to the courthouse to testify that these are not fabricated by the adoption applicants." Mulan tilted her head in confusion and Justine sighed, "I need you to go to the judge yourself and tell him that Emma and Regina have nothing to do with this. Can you do it?"

Belle, Ruby and Aurora burst through the kitchen door with Granny scolding them from the back of the kitchen. Justine's eyes grew wide as the women made a beeline for the table. Ruby clapped her hand on Mulan's shoulder. "Yes, she can do it. Mulan, I'll cover your shifts at at the station."

The warrior looked up and frowned, "But Emma shall become suspicious and I do not feel comfortable leaving my princess alone here in town."

"I'll be fine, Mulan," Aurora said as she smiled. "Emma and Regina are our friends and it's important that we help them. Everyone wrote the letters, but it will be up to you to make the judge understand how desperately we all want Alice to be here."

After watching their exchange, Justine laughed lightly. Four pairs of eyes fell on her as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I've seen parents go crazy and do some really insane things for their kids, but I've got to say that I've never seen a whole town gather together for one kid."

Ruby pulled up a chair and straddled it beside Justine. "You don't understand. That kid is special. Emma, Regina and Henry... they were already a family, but then Alice came along and it was like... you know, one of those things that just looks like it was supposed to be that way."

The Hispanic woman titled her head slightly, "But who are all of you?"

Belle blushed a little. "Oh... I guess we forgot to introduce ourselves since we were so preoccupied with this. I'm Belle, I run the library and this is my girlfriend, Ruby. She's a part-time deputy and she and her grandmother run this diner." Ruby grinned at Belle's introduction and waggled her fingers at Justine in a friendly gesture.

"I'm Aurora. I work here in the diner. Mulan and I just moved to Storybrooke." Aurora said quietly. "I know this may seem a bit strange, but all of those letters have been written by sincere people who honestly want to see Alice happy in a town that adores her with a family that already loves her. I like it when she tells others that I'm one of her big friends."

Justine gave some quiet thought to the situation. In the three years that she's been Alice's social worker, this was the first place that was actually fighting to keep her. All the other homes she's been in had desperately wanted her out, now this one didn't want to let her go. There really wasn't any argument to be made. Emma had reported finding Alice, but it was an administrative error that caused the report to go unseen. In two weeks, this town and that little family had managed to get Alice to put on some healthy weight, give her very nice clothes, a warm home, friends, and most importantly, had gotten her to open up and communicate. Which was something that no one had done in a very long time.

"You don't have to convince me," Justine said. She raised her hands up in a shrug and smiled, "Just need to convince the judge. He'll make the final decision. This kind of thing doesn't happen often, giving special privileges to parents to care for a foster child. But given the circumstances, I think the judge will be lenient."

"I shall accompany you where ever it is necessary." Mulan said with conviction. "I do not drive a vehicle with confidence, however I believe Mushu and I can meet you with only two days time."

"Mushu?" Justine's eye brow crept upward with confusion.

Ruby laughed, "Her horse. Not to sound stereotypical, but Mulan's a horrible driver. But she's really good with horses."

"I am able to drive the large black... um, what was that called again? Oh! The sport utility vehicle."

Belle rolled her eyes, "Just around town, Mulan. I don't think you're ready for long distance driving."

"I... see..." Justine answered slowly. "How about I just come pick you up and we'll go to Portland together? It's not that bad of a drive."

Mulan stood up again, "I am prepared. Let us leave immediately!"

"Woah, slow down there, cowgirl. I'll make the arrangements to meet with the judge. I would need to get Alice's paperwork together. I'll need some old files in order to show the change in Alice's behavior." Justine gathered up the letters into the envelope and stood up. "I'll be back in a day or two to pick you up, as soon as I get the appointment set with the judge." Mulan nodded, feeling better that the plan was falling into place.

"Can I ask you something, Justine?" Ruby asked. The social worker nodded. "Look, we all heard the rumor that you dated Emma awhile back. You're really helpful, despite her being with Regina. Why is that?"

Several emotions passed over Justine's eyes before she spoke. "I'll be honest. When I came to get Alice and I saw Emma, I missed her more than I realized. She helped me a long time ago and was like a hero to me. But after seeing her and Regina... it's like you said earlier about how you look at something and you just know it's supposed to be that way. I can't get in between that. There's something about just seeing the two of them that says that it's solid. I'd rather see Emma happy then try to ruin things for her. I think she's a lot better off here than back in Boston with me." There was a hint of sadness in Justine's voice, although her face hid the emotion with a smile. "Like I said, I'll be back in a few days. Just let me make some arrangements and we'll be set."

Mulan escorted Justine out of the diner while the other girls sat at the table together. Belle frowned, "Did you really have to ask her that question, Ruby?"

The wolf woman shrugged, "It just seemed weird. Both Emma and Regina were kinda upset about her coming around, so I thought maybe there was still some kind of spark. But I was totally off the mark with that one."

Aurora shook her head, "I think Justine has feelings for Emma still. But she's right. There's just something about Regina and Emma that makes them seem so... perfectly mismatched."

Belle laughed, "I've never heard a more true statement from anyone. Anyhow, we've done most of our part. Now we've got to coach Mulan on what to say to the judge and pray from there."

* * *

Henry was remarkably understanding and mature about Alice leaving. Emma assured him that it was temporary, as the disappointment was clear on his face. It was Snow who took the news almost as hard as Regina. She spent the next few days being depressed and making it a point to check in on Regina and Emma daily. They had done their best to adjust, but every so often, Regina would pause in front of Alice's room and just stand in the doorway, staring at the empty bed. Emma had taken to playing games with Henry or reading comic books with him, just to keep herself from thinking too much.

After missing a day of work, both women returned to their jobs and did their best to continue their daily lives. Regina found it difficult to be out of the house, considering that everyone she interacted with daily began asking immediately where Alice was. They had gotten used to the Mayor bringing the small girl to her office, so seeing Regina show up to work alone gave them cause to worry. Although she wanted to tell every one of them to jump off a cliff, she just quietly explained that Alice had to return to Portland. To her surprise, the townsfolk were supportive of her.

Emma, on the other hand, found herself buried in paperwork and having to pick up Mulan's patrols. The warrior hadn't explained where she was going, but only that she needed to go away for a few days. The Sheriff found all of this unusual, since Aurora was still working at the diner. The young princess was hardly ever separated from Mulan, so seeing her in Storybrooke with Mulan gone was definitely out of the ordinary. She decided to get to the bottom of the situation.

It was late in the afternoon when Ruby got off her shift at the diner and was making her way towards the apartment she shared with Belle above the library. Her face became flustered as she walked towards the stairs, finding Emma sitting on the last step waiting for her.

"Hey, Em... what's up?" Ruby asked casually.

"Oh... just wanted to come by and visit. Regina and I have been trying to stay out of the house lately." Emma replied nonchalantly. She stood up as Ruby approached, shoving her hands in her pockets. She shivered slightly at the autumn wind that picked up. It'd be winter soon with the holiday season around the corner.

"So you made up? That's good. I was getting worried for a moment there." Ruby said with a slight smile. "Don't tell me, Regina made you make up for lost time."

"How did you..."

"I said don't tell me." Ruby smirked. "Did you want to come inside? Belle should be home already."

Emma shook her head. She wasn't here to socialize, she wanted information. "Actually, I was wondering if you knew where Mulan went. Aurora's still here in town, so I thought it was a little weird that Mulan left without her."

Ruby knew that the question was coming. She had warned Belle and Aurora that Emma would be suspicious. Obviously the Sheriff was unknowingly proving her right. The wolf-girl shrugged, "I think she's out camping. Some sort of warrior training thing she insisted on. Told her it wasn't a good idea to go alone, but she said it was a ritual and she couldn't be convinced otherwise."

"I see..." Emma muttered slowly. Ruby wasn't sure if her friend accepted that explanation, but it satisfied her all the same. "You're gonna help cover her patrols, right? My dad said he's help, but Regina asked him to give a hand at the community center. I guess the dwarves need another pair of hands to repair the roof before winter starts."

Ruby gave a toothy grin, "Of course! I already planned on it when Mulan said she was going. Ashley's gonna pick up a couple shifts at the diner to help out. I think between her and Aurora, they've got it covered." Emma kicked the dirt at her feet. It was clear to Ruby that her friend was still struggling with the inevitable dismantling of her family. The brunette held a hand out towards the other woman. "You sure you don't want to come inside for a bit? Want to talk?"

"About what?"

"Work. True Blood? You and Regina? Anything to get you off this mopey mode." Ruby smiled.

"Regina and I are fine." Emma snarled. She realized she said the words with a bit more venom than she had intended. "Sorry, Rubes... I think I should go... Gina and the kid are waiting for me."

"Suit yourself," the wolf-girl replied. "But don't be surprised if we all show up on Miflin Street to try and bring some life into you two depressing sods."

"Very funny. See you later, Ruby." Emma said with a smirk as she turned to leave. She waved her hand in the air, walking away with one hand in her pocket.

Ruby waited until Emma was out of sight before she scrambled up the steps to the apartment and let herself in. At the opening of the door, Belle hurried to get away from the window where she had been listening in on the conversation outside. Ruby laughed as she caught her lover flopping onto the couch with as much grace as a minotaur. "How long was she out there?"

Belle rolled over on the couch and looked up with an exasperated sigh. "Since I got out of the shower. I didn't know she was there until I heard her talk to Regina on the phone. She didn't even bother to come to the door."

"So she was specifically waiting for me... Emma's gonna catch on real fast that Mulan's off in Portland, if she hasn't already. Especially with that weird internal lie detector ability she's got." Ruby sat down on the couch next to Belle's head and leaned back. The blue eyes librarian scooted her body around on the couch until she comfortably used Ruby's leg as a pillow.

"Well hopefully by the time she figured it out, Mulan's already on her way back with Alice. What's this about invading their house?"

The brunette shrugged, "I dunno. It was something to distract Emma. Why?"

A playful grin appeared on Belle's lips as her eyes sparkled with another idea. "That's not such a bad idea... Find out when Mulan is coming back and we plan to be at the house when she arrives, if everything goes smoothly in Portland. That way, Emma, Regina and Henry don't have an excuse to leave and Alice comes home to a full house."

Ruby stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her back from the day. "Regina will have a fit if we all just show up randomly."

"She's just going to have to deal with it." Belle said as she sat up. "That's the price you pay for having friends that actually care about what happens."

Belle disappeared into the kitchen and Ruby smiled, wondering when it was that she herself started realizing she had real friends in Storybrooke. Not just Snow, who was her friend in the Enchanted Forest, but more people who were now like family to her. It was a surprise to herself that she even wanted to leave Storybrooke in the first place. Ruby's gut silently thanked Emma for showing up to town as she got up from the couch and followed Belle into the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

Mulan was fidgeting. The courthouse office was much more intimidating that she had realized. It wasn't as if she hadn't been inside government buildings before. The Emperor's palace was large and intimidating as well, but there was a welcoming quality to it. Perhaps it was the alignment of the room that made her uneasy. Whatever it was, between the room and the intense gaze of the court official at the other end of the table, Mulan was nervously toying with her deputy badge.

She jumped slightly when the judge in casual clothes spoke but realized that he was addressing Justine, not her. The woman beside her sat back calmly. "Miss Reyes, you know that what you're asking is not how we do things here."

"I know that, sir." Justine answered. "You know as well as I do that there are special cases all over the place. This is just one of them."

"Who's this you brought with you?" the judge asked. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair, tiny rimless glasses sat on his large nose and dressed in a pair of brown slacks and a slightly pink shirt. The top button was undone and he didn't wear a tie; Mulan could easily tell that this wasn't a normal meeting. Justine must have some sort of pull in order to get a private meeting with a government official.

"I am Mulan Fa, sir. I work and live in Storybrooke as Deputy in the law enforcement division. I..." she paused, wondering what it was she was doing there. Mulan was sure that the letters that the townsfolk had written were more than enough to accomplish their goal. But she remembered the talk she had with Justine on the way to Portland. "I am attending today as a witness to the documentation Miss Reyes has brought. In order to verify that none were forged."

Justine nodded, satisfied with Mulan's answer. She learned quickly that the deputy could be a bit too honest or a bit too blunt with her commentary and had trained her on the road. She was grateful that Mulan picked up quickly. The judge opened the folder in front of him containing the letters. He leafed through them for a moment before looking up at the two women. "So what is it that I'm looking at here?"

"Letters, your honor. The townsfolk have written testimony to Mayor Mills and Sheriff Swan's relationship with Alice Chesshyre."

The judge sat back, looking at the papers. He had received the file a day before the meeting so he could look over the documentation. At first it seemed like other child custody cases he had seen. A troubled child from a broken home who was just incompatible with the foster homes that she was placed in. It wasn't unusual. What was different was that she had run away and found this tiny town of Storybrooke. He hadn't even heard of it, but then again, he wasn't the type to drive around Maine for fun.

Between the various reports Justine had kept over the years and the analysis from the child psychologists, it was clear that Alice had severe social anxiety. But when he read the letters, it didn't sound like a they were talking about a child with a hard life. He picked up one letter from a waitress with the signature "Aurora" at the bottom. Attached to it was a highly skilled sketch of lilies and orchids with colored pencils. He held it up and looked at Justine. "What's this?"

"That's a sketch that Alice drew." Justine explained. "For the few years I've been her social worker, she's always been artistic, but this is the first time that her art hasn't been incredibly dark or angry."

The file in front of the judge was overwhelming. There were at least ten letters, each one from someone other than the Sheriff or Mayor who were the applicants to adopt Alice. Even for an impartial judge, it was difficult to say no to a situation like this. The judge closed the file and took off his glasses.

"Miss Reyes, Deputy Fa... like I said, this case is highly unusual." Both of their shoulders visibly fell, a sense of dread began to dig itself into Mulan's stomach. "However, from the documentation you've brought me there's a clear improvement in Alice's behavior. I want to grant the applicants interim custody until adoption has been approved." Mulan's eyes flew open wide as she prepared to stand and salute the man. He held his hand up and continued.

"There is a condition. Because this is a special case, I can't just sign off on it and let it go. Due to the excessive number of foster families Alice has been in and given her mental condition, this case will need to be monitored. Miss Reyes, you will have to do a frequent follow up, at least once a month with a full review and report. Also, we require mental evaluation for the child from an accredited psychologist. This... Dr. Hopper will do, if he is the local psychologist. If you can do this, then I'll see what I can do about speeding up the adoption."  
The judge stood up and walked the file over to Justine. She stood up and grinned. He held out his hand to her and she took it eagerly.

"Thank you, your honor. You've just made an entire town happy."

"That's the one thing I don't get." he said as he watched Mulan stand up and position herself in a sharp militant stance. It reminded him of his days in the Air Force.

"What's that, sir?" Justine tilted her head curiously.

"How does a whole town get involved with one adoption? I've never seen that before."

Mulan realized that this was something for her to answer and she found herself smiling, "If I may, your honor... I just recently moved to Storybrooke. The people are kind hearted and charitable. They are uniquely unified. Everyone, from the mine workers to the Mayor herself, are so closely knit that they were not hesitant in supporting the efforts of Mayor Mills and Sheriff Swan. They are our town leaders and it is with great pride and respect that I, as well as many others in town, follow them."  
The elder man was not expecting such a heartfelt answer. He laughed and smiled, placing a hand on Mulan's shoulder with approval. "I may have to come visit some time. I'm sure you two have a long drive back. I've signed the letter of request and approval. Make sure you stop by the processing department to get it sealed. I suggest getting several copies because that orphanage likes to keep documents of everything and you'll need one or two copies in Alice's file for record."  
Justine nodded, "Thank you again, your honor."

"Anytime, Miss Reyes. I'll see you in three weeks for that other case you've got." He said with a slight smirk. "Deputy Fa, it has been a pleasure to speak with you. Good luck to you in the future."  
Mulan was unable to stop her respectful salute. "The honor is mine, sir." She did her best to remain straight faced, but the smile that had taken over her was showing as she imagined the looks on everyone's face when she returned with Alice. There was definitely a happy ending in sight.

* * *

After nearly a week of being depressed, Regina sat alone in her study, casually reading and trying to relax for once. It was Saturday afternoon and after the week her family had, they were well deserving of the break. Henry and Emma were out in the yard throwing around a football. Emma thought it would be a good idea to teach her son some sort of athletics, but the boy would rather read than run around with a ball. Still, Emma was insistent and Henry found it hard to say no to his pouty blonde mother.

Lounging across the loveseat in the study, Regina nursed a glass of cider and was reading a novel with her red framed reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She shifted slightly in the chair as her novel came to an unexpected steamy turn. Caught between throwing the book to the side for its overly suggestive themes and continuing to read, Regina only found herself blushing furiously at the pages. She scolded herself at being embarrassed by the book when she was fully aware that she wasn't unfamiliar with what went on between the pages. Before Emma, there were a handful of other lovers and with that came the experiences. However, reading it on a page in front of her brought about a whole new sense of awareness she never experienced before.

The doorbell rang, causing Regina to jump slightly and glare towards the door. She put her drink and book down. The bell rang a second time as she exited the study. With a look of irritation, she opened the door to find Ruby, Belle, Aurora, Snow and David standing on the porch.

"If you're an angry mob, you're missing the torches and I didn't do it, for once," she snarled. Of all the people who could be disturbing her relatively quiet afternoon (with the exception of Emma and Henry running around the backyard), it had to be this group.

"Don't be that way, Regina," Belle said with a smile. "We decided to come by for an impromptu get together."

"We aren't bothering you, are we?" Snow asked as she fidgeted beside her husband. David was holding a large aluminum tray covered in foil.

"I was reading," Regina answered with a slight sneer.  
Ruby leaned in close and smirked, "What were you reading? Your cheeks are all red."

"That's none of your business, Miss Lucas," the Mayor snapped. With a laugh, Ruby shrugged off Regina's snarl.  
David held up the tray, "Just let us in, Regina. I brought food and I'm more than willing to help make everyone something to eat."

"How kind of you to invite yourself over and go through my pantry." Realizing that there wasn't any getting around their presence, Regina stepped back and rolled her eyes. "Emma will be glad for the company, at the very least." The others filed into the house. Ruby immediately hurried to the backyard to find Emma and Henry. Aurora smiled shyly at Regina who returned the gesture with a wary glare. "Were you in on this scheme, too?"

"Not at all," Aurora replied. "It was Belle and Ruby's idea. But Mulan is still out on her training ritual, so I didn't want to stay home alone. Also...I brought you something." She reached into the bookbag that was slung over her shoulder and pulled out a thick book.

"It's Affinity, by Sarah Waters. Belle showed it to me and I couldn't put it down."  
Regina took the book as she closed the door behind Aurora. She stared at the dark cover with the woman in white contrast. "What is it?"

"It's about a young woman who visits a prison and befriends a suspected psychic murderess. It's written all in diary entries. It was quite intriguing and thought you might enjoy it as well." Aurora smiled as Regina flipped through the pages. Since she and Regina had begun to reestablish their relationship earlier in the week, Aurora spent her off time trying to find a way to bridge the gap between them. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a bit jealous that her other friends had some sort of cordial relationship with the Mayor. It seemed as if she were the only one who was the odd one out.

As they moved into the kitchen, Emma, Henry and Ruby came through the back door. There was a big smile on Emma's face as she moved past her parents and straight to her girlfriend. "I didn't know everyone was coming over." She leaned in and kissed the older woman's cheek.

"I didn't either until they showed up at the door. Since when did our house become the community center?"

David laughed as he unpacked the tray. It was filled to the top with barbecue skewers. "Since you two decided to not leave the house anymore. We figured that if you didn't want to come out, we'd come to you."

Emma walked over to the fridge and pulled out a six pack of beer that she recently convinced Regina to let her keep. It was some brand from Spain with a shiny red label that she stumbled upon while visiting the grocer. How the tiny town of Storybrooke was able to bring in imported beer was beyond her comprehension, but she appreciated it nonetheless. Emma popped open three beers and handed one each to Ruby and David.

"What'd you make, Dad?" she asked.

David beamed proudly, "Your mother suggested we do a barbecue before the weather gets too cold. These are tequila-lime marinated beef skewers with onions, peppers and heirloom tomatoes."

Regina sighed, "I suppose I'll make some macaroni salad to go with that."

Aurora hurried to Regina's side as the woman pulled out a box of macaroni. "I'll help." The brunette's eyebrows rose slightly, surprised that Aurora was so eager to do anything with her. The young princess received a quiet thanks as she nodded and continued to take ingredients from the other woman.

"So... Mulan's not back yet?" Emma asked as her father carried out the skewers to the grill in the back. Henry slipped out the back with him, leaving the conversation he was having with his grandmother and Belle.

Ruby sipped at her beer and pointed the bottled towards Emma. "No, but she said she'd be back today. She'll come by and join us. She's gotten better at driving, so I let her borrow the SUV."

Emma nearly choked on her beer, "The station SUV?! Ruby, what if she crashes it?!"

Belle laughed from her seat the dining table, "It's fine, Emma. Ruby and I drove around town with her. She handles that gigantic thing better than you do."

The Sheriff pouted, "What? My driving is fine!"

Regina snorted, "Or so you think. You can barely sit in the driver's seat without trying to change every station on the radio or fuss with the iPod."

"That's because you have every channel programmed to smooth jazz! I can't drive to that stuff, I'll fall asleep! I need some real beats when I'm behind the wheel." Emma folded her arms across her chest.

Although Regina was snippy at first with everyone showing up, she and Emma were both beginning to feel better than they were that morning. Emma, who didn't have many friends until she moved to Storybrooke, was glad to have the company and the distraction. On the other hand, Regina, who's circle of acquaintances weren't necessarily people she would call friends, found that having this ragtag group around actually lightened her spirits.

Henry came back into the house, holding a plate of skewers. "Grandpa David couldn't figure out how to turn on the grill at first. But these things are cooking pretty fast." He put the plate on the counter and looked over at Regina. "Mom, can I have a soda since we're kinda having a party?"

Regina frowned. She hated the idea of Henry and Alice having soda, especially after the hyperactivity they were prone to. Picking them up from Ruby and Belle's not that long ago was more than enough evidence that her children should stay away from sugar. But given the circumstance and her current mood, she shrugged. "Fine, but only one. Since your mother's decided that it's time to break out the beer."

Henry cheered and hurried to the pantry where Emma was hiding a case of Coke. Snow laughed and joined the other women around the counter, placing a wine bottle between them. "I brought something, too."  
Belle nodded with approval, "Australian Shiraz... nice choice. Where'd you get it? I haven't seen this at the grocery."

"Neither have I." Regina commented as she picked up the bottle to inspect it. She set it back down and turned towards the cupboard to pull out wine glasses. She stopped beside Aurora who was adding salt to a boiling pot of water. "Not too much, dear. I always add a little salt to the macaroni salad so the pasta doesn't need too much." Aurora nodded, quite pleased that Regina was comfortable enough with her to give cooking tips.

"Doc gave it to me. Not sure where he got it, but he promised it was worth it."

"Moms?! Come here!" Henry called from the top of the stairs. He had gone up to his room to retrieve a new comic book to show to Belle (since the girl loved reading anything and everything). He caught a glimpse of the black Storybrooke Police Department SUV outside and a familiar blonde head of hair leaning against the door. He rushed to the bottom of the stairs just as Regina and Emma came running out of the kitchen into the foyer.

"Henry, what's wrong?" Emma asked frantically. Her son brushed past of the them as he ran to the door and yanked it open. The blonde looked down the pathway to see Mulan walking around the SUV to open the side door. "No way..."

"Oh my god..." Regina muttered. She covered her mouth with her hands as Mulan helped Alice out of the SUV. The girl rubbed her eyes sleepily but the realization of where she was quickly registered on her face. Regina pushed past Emma and Henry and stepped onto the porch before falling to her knees and holding her arms out to catch the small blonde girl who ran towards her with her white rabbit in one hand and a small backpack around her shoulders. As soon as Alice was in arm's reach she wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"Alice, I thought we'd never see you again."

Alice hugged the brunette woman. "Mommy, I didn't want to leave. You said I can stay."

"I know, sweetie. We promised you could and we mean it." Regina felt her heart pounding hard in her chest as tears welled up around her eyes. "I'm so glad you're home." She felt Emma's arms around her and Alice as the blonde bent down to hug her family. Henry was suddenly at her other side, joining his family's reunion.

Mulan casually walked up to the porch and clicked the remote on the car. She smiled as she heard the secure honk of the alarm and shoved the key in her pocket. Emma looked up at her. "Did you do this, Mulan?"

The warrior shrugged, "I had help. There is documentation in the car. I must apologize, Sheriff. I have asked my friends to lie to you."

"I know you did. I can tell when people are lying, even if they're as good as Ruby. I know you weren't training in the woods. You'd have taken Mushu with you." Emma said with a smirk. "But you brought Alice back, so I really don't care if you lied about it."

Mulan beamed, "I did not want to raise suspicions. The social worker was quite helpful. She took me to Portland where a kind government official has given the approval for the young one to live here."

Regina looked up, still not releasing her hold on Alice. "What? You mean..."

The warrior woman nodded, "Yes, Madame Mayor. The judge has decided that you and Sheriff Swan are the young one's parents until she is adopted. I hope you are able to forgive me for assisting Mother Superior. I did not want to remove Alice from your family, however I felt that it was my duty to obey the law."

Alice turned and wiggled out of Regina's grasp to hug Mulan's waist. She was slightly confused at first, but her face slowly warmed up and she patted Alice's head. The girl looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Mulan."

"Think nothing of it, child. Family is made of people who love you." She crouched down and placed her hand on Alice's shoulder. "Not all families are blood related. It is the ties that bind us that make a family. I do not believe there is any other place in the world where you belong except here."

Regina smiled. All her doubts, worries and fears seemed to disappear. Emma caught the grin on her girlfriend's face and wrapped her arms around her waist. Regina returned the embrace, feeling nothing more than true happiness that her family was back together.  
Henry took Alice's hand. "Come on, Alice! Grandpa David and Grandma Snow are here. We're barbecuing! Oh, and so are Belle, Ruby and Aurora! Everyone's here today."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Everyone?" She looked down at Henry's hand around hers and nodded. Clutching her bunny to her chest, she let Henry guide her into the house where the others waited.

Mulan, Regina and Emma followed the children into the house, finding Snow with her arms around Alice as she cried happily. Ruby bumped her shoulder against Emma's as the blonde picked up her beer again. The Sheriff smirked. "You knew she was coming home, didn't you?"

"Yup."

"That's why all of you came over, isn't it?"

"Yup."

"You know I knew you were lying about Mulan being on a training ritual."

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But we decided that if you and Regina knew what we were up to, you'd want to get involved. The social worker said it was best if you didn't 'cause it'd look like a desperate attempt on your part."

Emma smiled. "Thank you, Ruby... seriously, you guys are the best friends ever."

The tall brunette laughed. "Yeah, we know."

Stepping back to observe the commotion in the kitchen, Emma smiled. For the first time, her heart was content. She had friends that she realized would go to all sorts of lengths to support her and her family. Their loyalty was immeasurably valuable. She had her parents and for as goofy and ridiculous as they may be, they were genuine and accepting of all the good and bad that had crossed her paths in life. Most importantly, she had her family. With Henry, who was as ambitious as he was curious, Alice who was opening up and showing incredible potential for almost anything and Regina, whom she loved more than anyone else in the world, Emma decided she didn't need anything more than this. After almost thirty years, Emma Swan finally found the home she longed for all her life.

* * *

**_This ended up being a really long chapter. Sorry. Hope you all stuck with it. You don't honestly think this is over, do you? :) hopefully the next chapter won't take as long for me to write. My restaurant is open now and I won't be as crazy busy._**


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